It was a bumper weekend for African stars in Europe with goals raining in, not least in the English Premier League. We round up the best performers from the last few days as most now head off with their national teams in the international break.
MARIO LEMINA (WOLVES & GABON)
Midfielder Lemina scored a dramatic late winner fore Wolverhampton Wanderers at home to Tottenham Hotspur to seal a most unlikely comeback for his side.
Spurs led 1-0 into the 91st minute of the game, but Pablo Sarabia equalised and Lemina helped his team snatch the three points.
Sarabia burst down the wing and his low cross was prodded home by Lemina for his second goal of the season.
He also netted in the 2-2 draw with Newcastle United two weeks ago, and will likely feature for Gabon when they play Kenya (home) and Burundi (away) at the start of their 2026 World Cup qualification campaign.
Good sunday everyone 😬🐺#Wolves #L5MINA pic.twitter.com/zXuObNf7P7
— Mario Lemina (@LeminaM_13) November 12, 2023
MOHAMED SALAH (LIVERPOOL & EGYPT)
Two more goals for Liverpool in their 3-0 win over Brentford as Salah moved into second place in the Golden Boot race with 10 strikes in the league this season, three behind Erling Haaland.
Those goals took his tally in English football to 200 (198 for Liverpool, two for Chelsea) and underscore his status as one of the Premier League’s best ever.
Salah also became the first player in history to score in each of Liverpool's first six home league games of a season.
His first came from a Darwin Nunez assist, before he netted a second with a rare header at the back post.
He now links up with Egypt to take on tiny Djibouti (home) and Sierra Leone (away) in their World Cup qualifiers.
2️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ goals in English football for Mohamed Salah:
— Sky Sports Statto (@SkySportsStatto) November 12, 2023
- 198 for Liverpool
- 2 for Chelsea
✳️ Most goals+assists (14) in PL this season
✳️ Scored in 14 of last 15 PL appearances at Anfield (17 goals overall), including all 6 this season pic.twitter.com/BliVUU2e3R
IDRISSA GUEYE (EVERTON & SENEGAL)
Senegal midfielder Gueye doesn’t score many goals, but he netted what proved a vital winner for Everton in their epic 3-2 victory at Crystal Palace.
Having come on at halftime for Amadou Onana, Gueye was superb and capped his performance as he slid home Abdoulaye Doucoure’s precise pass with four minutes left on the clock for his first Premier League goal since 2018.
Gueye has been dropped from the Everton starting XI in recent weeks, but this 45-minute performance was a reminder of his quality.
He links up with Senegal for their World Cup qualifier at home to South Sudan and away in Togo.
FT|🦅2-3🔵 Everton snatch three points in the capital through a goal from Idrissa Gueye!
— 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗲 𝗕𝗹𝘂𝗲𝘀 (@EvertonNewsFeed) November 11, 2023
Thoughts Blues? pic.twitter.com/MfI3xLCYGR
ABDOULAYE DOUCOURE (EVERTON & MALI)
Doucoure has been outstanding for Everton this season as a box-to-box midfielder and capped another excellent showing with an assist and a goal in the victory at Palace.
His superb pass into the box set up the winner for Gueye, but before that he had given Everton a 2-1 lead.
Vitalii Mykolenko’s superb volley from the edge of the box hit the post and rebounded out, leaving Doucoure to finish into an empty net.
It is a fourth goal already for the midfielder this season. He has decided to put his brief international career with Mali on hold and will not travel with them for their World Cup qualifiers, or indeed make himself available for the Africa Cup of Nations finals.
Keep the momentum 💙
— Abdoulaye Doucouré (@abdoudoucoure16) November 12, 2023
See you after the break 🥳 pic.twitter.com/NbVSXOK76d
SIMON ADINGRA (BRIGHTON & IVORY COAST)
Ivory Coast attacker Adingra has been a star for Brighton & Hove Albion this season and scored his second goal in as many games at the weekend having also netted against Ajax Amsterdam in the Uefa Europa League.
He opened the scoring after six minutes against Sheffield United with a glorious goal, picking up the ball wide on the left flank, before beating three defenders and playing a one-two with Facundo Buonanotte.
He drilled the return ball into the bottom corner of the net for one of the goals of the season so far.
He will link up with the Ivorian national side for their World Cup qualifiers home to Seychelles and away in The Gambia.
Brighton's last three goals across all competitions:
— Squawka Live (@Squawka_Live) November 12, 2023
🅰️ Adingra
⚽️ Adingra
⚽️ Adingra
Simon says. 🫡#BHASHU pic.twitter.com/MyedOQGgjJ
NICOLAS JACKSON (CHELSEA & SENEGAL)
Chelsea’s 4-4 draw with Manchester City was arguably one of the most remarkable games the Premier League has ever seen, and Jackson certainly played his part.
City led three times in the game but on each occasion Chelsea pegged them back.
The Senegal forward brough them level at 3-3 midway through the second half with a fine piece of opportunism.
Conor Gallagher’s long-range strike was only parried by Ederson and Jackson reacted quickest, collecting the ball and finishing low past the goalkeeper.
Following on from his hattrick against Tottenham last Monday, it was a superb week for the 22-year-old Gambian-born striker.
He also links up with Senegal for their World Cup qualifier at home to South Sudan and away in Togo.
TAIWO AWONIYI (NOTTINGHAM FOREST & NIGERIA)
It had been a while since the Nigeria international had been on the scoresheet for Nottingham Forest with his previous strike all the way back in August, but he managed to break that barren run with a goal at West Ham United, even if he still ended up on the losing side in a 3-2 defeat.
He turned in the rebound after West Ham goalkeeper Alphonse Areola could only parry Morgan Gibbs-White’s low shot into his path.
It is his fourth of the season in the league.
Awoniyi will now link up with the Super Eagles for their World Cup qualifiers at home to Lesotho and away in neutral Rwanda against Zimbabwe.
Taiwo Awoniyi scores his first Premier League goal since August.
— Soar Super Eagles (@SSE_NGA) November 12, 2023
Let the goals flow again 🔥 pic.twitter.com/rXJWsIhgsL
OLA AINA (NOTTINGHAM FOREST & NIGERIA)
Also making that trip will be Aina, who has started the season superbly with Forest and will get another chance with the national team.
He laid on the second goals for his side against West Ham with an assist as he did well on the right-hand side of the Hammers’ box and his pull-back for Anthony Elanga was perfect for the Swede to score.
It was a lovely bit of skill and awareness from Aina.
CHUKWUBUIKEM IKWUEMESI (SALERNITANA & NIGERIA)
Salernitana blew an early two goal lead at Sassuolo to draw 2-2 on Friday, but their advantage was handed to them by a couple of African stars.
Their first goal was score by Ikwuemesi as he netted his first in Serie A following his move from Slovenian side Celje at the start of the campaign.
He beat the offside trap with a superb run and with only the keeper to beat, scored easily.
It does follow his goal in the Copa Italia the week before, so he is starting to show form in front of goal. He has yet to receive a call-up from Nigeria.
Serie A result
— NigeriaFootball360 (@NFootball360) November 10, 2023
Sassuolo 2 - 2 Salernitana
Chukwubuikem Ikwuemesi scored his first Serie A goal. The 22 year old made easy for veteran Simy Nwankwo in the 56th minute https://t.co/oFffmSawbo pic.twitter.com/bszbFz664i
BOULAYE DIA (SALERNITANA & SENEGAL)
Dia thundered in a second goal for Salernitana on 15 minutes when he found acres of space in the box and absolutely drilled his shot into the roof of the net.
It was his fourth goal of the season as he battles to find the form of last term when he netted 16 in Serie A, but perhaps this goal will ignite something in him.
He also links up with Senegal for their World Cup qualifier at home to South Sudan and away in Togo.
Boulaye Dia Buteur face à Sassuolo ! ⚽️#SerieA pic.twitter.com/7dKEFcLLtG
— 13football_com (@13footballC) November 10, 2023
LAMECK BANDA (LECCE & ZAMBIA)
Lecce rallied from two goals down to secure a superb 2-2 draw with AC Milan and it was Banda who scored the equaliser with 20 minutes left on the clock.
Having missed a sitter in the first half, he may feel he owed his teammates one and the Zambia international picked up the ball in the box and curled a superb shot into the far corner of the net.
It was his first goal of the season and third in Serie A having joined Lecce at the start of last season.
Banda will link up with Zambia for their home World Cup qualifier against Congo and away trip to Niger, with that game taking place in neutral Morocco.
🇿🇲 Lameck Banda 💥
— Lega Serie A (@SerieA_EN) November 11, 2023
1G/3A so far this season, already more than his tally last season 🔥#LecceMilan pic.twitter.com/IHf2o1eGAX
SAMUEL CHUKWUEZE (AC MILAN & NIGERIA)
Before Banda’s heorics, Chukwueze had helped to give Milan their two-goal advantage with an assist for Tijjani Reijnders’s second goal for the visitors.
It was a simple pass into the path of the Dutchman, but they all count! Chukwueze has yet to get on the scoresheet himself since he made the switch from Spanish LaLiga side Villarreal at the start of the season.
Perhaps that is the reason why he has been left out of Nigeria’s squad for their World Cup qualifiers this month.
TYRONNE EBUEHI (EMPOLI & NIGERIA)
Ebuehi is another one who will not play in those games having been something of a surprise omission.
He came off the bench to play on the assists for Viktor Kovalenko to score at the death as Empoli stunned champions Napoli with a 1-0 win this weekend.
The lively Ebuehi played the ball into his path and he curled in a superb shot away from the goalkeeper. It was his first assist of the season.
M’BALA NZOLA (FIORENTINA & ANGOLA)
Fiorentina snapped a three-game losing run in Serie A with a 2-1 home success against Bologna and Nzola’s assist allowed Giacomo Bonaventura to give his side the lead.
It was a nice turn and pass in the box from the Angolan under some pressure from the visitors’ defence for his second assist of the campaign.
JONATHAN BAMBA (CELTA VIGO & IVORY COAST)
Bamba scored in Celta Vigo’s epic seven-goal thriller at Athletic Bilbao on Friday, but ended up on the wrong side of the scoreline as they went down 4-3.
He managed his team’s second goal to make it 2-1. It was a superb strike too as he volleyed the ball from 25-yards low into the back of the net for a second of the season in LaLiga following his move from Lille at the start of the campaign.
He did also get two in the Copa del Rey at the start of the month. He will also link up with the Ivorian national side for their World Cup qualifiers home to Seychelles and away in The Gambia.
La 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒒𝒖𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒆́ de @djobamba7 🇨🇮 🫡 #AthleticCelta #RCCelta #JonathanBamba pic.twitter.com/thvNH0JMqS
— RC Celta (@RCCelta) November 10, 2023