AFRICANS ABROAD: Adingra double and Salah back on target

There were goals for some familiar names in Europe’s elite leagues as African stars continued to make their mark at the very highest level this past weekend.

SIMON ADINGRA (BRIGHTON & COTE D’IVOIRE)

Young winger Adingra played a crucial role for Ivory Coast in their Africa Cup of Nations triumph and has continued that form with Brighton & Hive Albion, scoring two goals in their 5-0 Premier League win at Sheffield United.

The 22-year-old scored his first with a lovely right-footed volley from 10 yards and then followed that up with a deflected effort with his left as he displayed his ambidexterity. That is now seven goals and three assists in 18 starts in all competitions for Brighton this season as he emerged as one of their key players. Many around Europe will have taken notice …

MOHAMED SALAH (LIVERPOOL & EGYPT)

Salah returned from injury to score one goal and set up another for Liverpool in their 4-1 victory at Brentford that keeps them top of the Premier League table. Having missed around a month of action, the Egyptian showed he had lost none of his sharpness as he came off the bench in the first half for the injured Diogo Jota.

Having missed a big chance, he made up for that error with a superb pass into midfielder Alexis Mac Allister and the Argentine provided a composed finish. Salah then got his goal as he showed great body strength to hold off the defender and then applied a clinical finish into the bottom corner. Nineteen goals and nine assists in 23 starts in all competitions for Liverpool this season.

TAIWO AWONIYI (NOTTINGHAM FOREST & NIGERIA)

Awoniyi missed the Africa Cup of Nations due to injury but returned for Forest at the end of January after six weeks on the sidelines. His took his tally to six in 11 Premier League starts this season with the first goal in a crucial 2-0 win for Nottingham Forest over West Ham United.

It was a brilliant goal as he collected a forceful pass, took a brilliant touch to open up the shooting chance and then showed composure to provide the finish. His side remain near the bottom of the table, but his goals can fire them to safety, as they did in the 2022/23 campaign. He now has 16 in 28 starts for the club in the Premier League.

ANTOINE SEMENYO (BOURNEMOUTH & GHANA)

Semenyo managed just a single Premier League goal last season but has already taken his tally to four in this campaign with a striker against Newcastle United at the weekend. It gave his team the lead for the second time in the game, but they had to settle for a 2-2 draw.

The Ghanaian picked up the ball 40 yards from goal, drove at the Magpies defence and then unleashed an unstoppable shot into the far corner of the net for a superb strike. When he scores goals, they tend to be spectacular!

JORDAN ZEMURA (UDINESE & ZIMBABWE)

Zimbabwe international Zemura scored his first goal in Italy’s Serie A and it was a beauty too as Udinese were held to a 1-1 draw by Cagliari. The ball reached him from a low cross on the right-hand side of the box and he cut inside before unleashing an unstoppable shot into the top corner.

It was just a fourth career goal for the 24-year-old, with all his others coming for Bournemouth in the English Championship. It was a first goal contribution in 18 appearances (9 starts) for the right-back this season.