It was another superb weekend for Africa’s starts in Europe’s elite leagues with a hat-trick from Dango Ouattara and several very late winning goals.
We pick the best of the performers from the last few days.
DANGO OUATTARA (BURKINA FASO & BOURNEMOUTH)
Bournemouth are one of the form teams in the Premier League and leading their recent surge has been Ouattara in the forward role. They took on high-flying Nottingham Forest on Saturday in what looked a tough battle between two attacking teams, but turned into a one-sided route as Bournemouth won 5-0, in part thanks to a hat-trick from Ouattara.
The versatile 20-year-old has played right wing and left wing for most of the season, but in the last three games has been thrust into the centre-forward position. He now has six goals and four assists in 11 starts (and nine sub appearances) this season.
ANTOINE SEMENYO (GHANA & BOURNEMOUTH)
Another of Bournemouth’s top stars this campaign has been Semenyo, who was born and raised in London but plays for the Ghana national side. His father Larry was a midfielder for Okwawu United in the Ghana Premier League.
Semenyo, 25, joined The Cherries from English Championship side Bristol City in January 2023 and after a bit of a slow start has been a revelation. He netted Bournemouth’s fifth goal against Forest and now has seven to go with three assists in 22 starts.
Incredibly, the south coast club are just a point off Manchester City in the final Champions League qualification place. Liverpool are up next on Saturday.
MOHAMED SALAH (EGYPT & LIVERPOOL)
Speaking of Liverpool, they keep marching on towards the Premier League title having dispatched Ipswich Town with some ease in a 4-1 success at Anfield at the weekend. Salah, of course, was on target as he buried the ball in the back of the net from a tight angle with a typical display of his technique and power.
He now has 19 Premier League goals in 22 games this season, to go with 13 assists. The Reds will be praying he can stay fit to the end of the season and lead them to the title.
ILIMAN NDIAYE (SENEGAL & EVERTON)
Across Stanley Park there is a revival at Everton as new manager David Moyes took them to a 1-0 victory at Brighton & Hove Albion to secure back-to-back wins and move six points clear of the relegation zone. Ndiaye was on the scoresheet for the second week in a row, though this one was from the penalty-spot as he kept his cool and slot it low into the left-hand corner.
The spot-kick was won after pressure from Guinea-Bissau international Beto on the defender, who handled the ball. Ndiaye is becoming a cult figure at Everton with his dazzling displays and the 24-year-old winger took his tally to five goals in the league and seven in all competitions.
BILAL EL KHANNOUSS (MOROCCO & LEICESTER)
Leicester City had started the second half 1-0 down at Tottenham Hotspur, but within five minutes were 2-1 up, their second goal a superb long-range strike from El Khannouss. He collected the ball 40 yards from goal, was given all the room he needed to create the shooting opportunity and fired it low into the bottom right corner of the net from 25 yards.
That goal meant a first league win for Leicester under Ruud van Nistelrooy with the club having lost their previous seven games in a row. It moves them out of the relegation zone with a huge game to come at Everton on Saturday. El Khannouss now has two goals and an assist this season.
BRYAN MBEUMO (CAMEROON & BRENTFORD)
Mbeumo was back on the scoresheet for Brentford for the first time in four games, as his despair turned to joy. The Bees were handed a penalty in their 2-1 win at Crystal Palace but Mbeumo missed his first effort as he struck the post. The VAR came to his rescue after spotting encroachment from Palace players and he was able to have a second go, this time burying the ball in the back of the net.
That was the 14th goal of the season for the Cameroon international to go with three assists. Only Salah (19), Erling Haaland (18) and Alexander Isak (16) have scored more than Mbeumo this season.
NICOLAS JACKSON (SENEGAL & CHELSEA)
It proved a disappointing outing for Jackson as his Chelsea side lost 3-1 at Manchester City, but he did at least provide the assist for Chukwunonso Madueke to open the scoring for The Blues inside three minutes.
Unfortunately for the London club, they could not hold on. Jackson now has 14 goal contributions (nine goals, five assists) in 21 starts this season, which is just five short of his tally of 19 from 31 starts last season. His aim will be to show him improvement and top that mark.
ANDRE-FRANK ZAMBO ANGUISSA (CAMEROON & NAPOLI)
Napoli stretched their winning streak in Serie A to seven games with a 2-1 victory over Juventus on Saturday with Anguissa equalising just before the hour-mark after they had fell behind. The Naples club remain three points in front of Inter Milan at the top of the table, but have played a game more, and it is looking like it will be a two-horse race between the pair after Atalanta’s form dropped off.
Anguissa scored a rare headed goal as he rose highest at the back post to nod home his fourth Serie A goal in his last seven games. He has five in all and that is already his best scoring season to date in the league, bettering the three he netted in 2022/23 as Napoli won the title.
SAMUEL CHUKWUEZE (NIGERIA & AC MILAN)
Chukwueze popped up with a 95th minute winner as AC Milan scored twice in injury-time at the end of the game to beat Parma 3-2. It was an incredible turnaround as they trailed in the 92nd minutes, but went on to win the game.
It wasn’t the prettiest of goals as he bundled the ball over the line from close-range, but they all count the same and it was a stunning winning moment for the Nigerian. It was his second goal in nine starts and nine sub appearances this season.
ALIEU FADERA (GAMBIA & COMO)
Como could not hold on as they let a lead slip to lose 2-1 to third-placed Atalanta, but Gambia winger Fadera did not up an assists as he laid on a goal for Argentine Nicolás Paz on the half-hour mark.
It was a third assists of the campaign for the 23-year-old to go with a single goal as he put in a fine ball across the box from the left wing, which Paz blasted home. Fadera was initially inexplicably given offside by the assistant referee when replays showed he was at least a yard on.
CHRISTANTUS UCHE (NIGERIA & GETAFE)
Relegation-threatened Getafe got a precious three points when they defeated Real Sociedad 3-0 away from home in LaLiga and they were set on their way by a goal from Nigerian Uche. The game was goalless until the 72nd minute when he scored from close range from a rebound after the keeper could only parry the ball into his path.
It was his first goal since August and just the second ever in his professional career for the 21-year-old midfielder. He followed that up with an assist as his cut-back from the byline was blasted into the net by teammate Carles Pérez.
RANDY NTEKA (ANGOLA & RAYO VALLECANO)
Rayo Vallecano have climbed to seventh in LaLiga on the back of a seven game unbeaten run in the competition and recorded another victory on Saturday as they defeated Girona. Both goals were scored by their Angolan midfielder Randy Nteka, who had only netted once the entire campaign before this fixture.
His three goals have come in eight starts and eight sub appearances. Nteka came off the bench with his side trailing 1-0, and equalised with a bit of a scrappy effort from a goal-mouth scramble. His second was a neat finish at the near post after Alvaro GarcÃa, who also assisted the first, had done well to find him.
CEDRIC BAKAMBU (DR CONGO & REAL BETIS)
Bakambu proved the match winner for Real Betis as he netted in the 96th minute of their 1-0 victory over Mallorca to climb to 10th in the table and within two points of the European places next season.
The game appeared to be heading for a stalemate before substitute Bakambu scored his first goal of the season. His powerful header from 12-yards arrowed into the net and sparked wild scenes of celebration among the players and the Betis bench.
PATRICK MASWANGANYI (SOUTH AFRICA & ORLANDO PIRATES)
Maswanganyi has not scored in the league yet for Pirates this season, missing that penalty against Cape Town City as they lost 1-0. But his brace of goals for The Buccaneers as they breezed past Richards Bay 3-1 takes his tally in the Nedbank Cup to six in six games for the Soweto giants since he arrived from SuperSport United at the start of 2023/24.
His first against Richards Bay was a beauty as he was teed up by Relebohile Mofokeng 25-yards from goal and he lashed the ball into the net. The same two players combined for the second goal as Mofokeng slipped a delightful pass for Maswanganyi to finish with aplomb.
He won the Golden Boot in the competition last season as he helped Pirates to back-to-back titles.