It was back to domestic action this past weekend after the FIFA international break and there was a host of African stars who found themselves on the scoresheet in Europe’s top leagues. We round up the best of the performances.
MOHAMED SALAH (LIVERPOOL & EGYPT)
Salah continued his excellent recent form for Liverpool in their hard-fought 2-0 Merseyside Derby win over Everton at Anfield. Salah was well-marshalled by the Toffees’ defence until he was given the opportunity to score from the penalty-spot following Michael Keane’s handball. He confidently put the spot-kick away and then, as Everton pushed for the equaliser late on, led a breakaway to rifle in a second and complete the win. The brace takes Salah to seven Premier League goals for the season and second in the early Golden Boot race behind Manchester City’s Erling Haaland (9).
YOANE WISSA (BRENTFORD & DR CONGO)
It has been a bit of a wait for Wissa in search of his third league goal of the season, but he finally found it after more than two months with a tap-in at the back post after being teed-up by Cameroon international Bryan Mbeumo in the 3-0 win against Burnley. Wissa continues to get game-time in the absence of the suspended Ivan Toney and will be relieved to be back on the scoresheet after his barren spell. He scored seven goals in each of the previous two Premier League campaigns, so his target this term will be to better that.
BRYAN MBEUMO (BRENTFORD & CAMEROON)
Mbeumo has been one of the form forwards in the Premier League this season and showed his class again in the win over Burnley. After setting up the opener for Wissa, he scored a brilliant second, smashing the ball into the net from the edge of the box. Mbuemo already has five league goals in nine games this season, which is more than he scored in the entirety of the 2021/22 season and four fewer than last term. At the age of 24 he has a huge future ahead of him.
ADEMOLA LOOKMAN (ATALANTA & NIGERIA)
Lookman bagged a third goal of the campaign as Atalanta cruised to a 2-0 win over genoa in Serie A. The winger netted 13 times in the Italian topflight last season and was a revelation but has not yet had the same potency this campaign, though perhaps this goal will spark something. Lookman slid in at the back post in a tangle of bodies and his initial effort was blocked, before he turned home the loose ball while still on the floor. The goal was checked for handball but given in the end by the referee. It was a belated gift for Lookman, coming two days after his 26th birthday.
ZITO LUVUMBO (CAGLIARI & ANGOLA)
The Angolan forward opened the scoring for Cagliari in their exciting 2-2 draw with Salernitana in which all four goals came in the final 12 minutes of the game. It was a third goal in seven games for the 21-year-old, who had already caused Salernitana several problems before he found the opener when he was played into acres of space in the box and had time to pick his spot before rifling the ball past the goalkeeper. His side could not hold on, but he is already more than halfway past last season’s Serie B tally of five goals that helped his club to promotion.
BOULAYE DIA (SALERNITANA & SENEGAL)
Dia equalised twice in the same game for Salernitana, the second of which was a 95th minute penalty as he kept his cool to slot home and earn his team a point. His first was a well-taken effort as he collected the ball 10- yards from goal and fired in a low shot that had the beating of the keeper. It will be relief for Dia, who has had a slow start to the new campaign after knocking in a hugely impressive 16 goals last term. He is now up to three in 2023/24.
CHUKWUBUIKEM IKWUEMESI (SALERNITANA & NIGERIA)
It was truly an African affair between Salernitana and Cagliari as Nigerian Ikwuemesi laid on the first goal for Dia with a lovely deft pass into his path that was perfect for the Senegal striker to rifle home. It was a bright moment for the 22-year-old in his first season in Serie A following a move from Slovenian side Celje at the start of the campaign. He has yet to start a game but has made five substitute appearances.
EVAN NDICKA (ROMA & IVORY COAST)
The centre-back was fresh from facing Morocco and Bafana Bafana in international friendlies when he turned out for Roma in their 1-0 home win over Monza, helping Jose Mourinho’s side to a clean-sheet. It was a sixth start of the season for the 24-year-old in Serie A following his move from German Bundesliga Eintracht Frankfurt ahead of the campaign, and he looks to have cemented his place at the back after beginning the season on the bench.
BEBE (RAYO VALLECANO & CAPE VERDE)
It has been a pretty good start to the season for Spanish LaLiga side Rayo Vallecano and they moved into seventh in the table with a 1-0 win at Las Palmas. That victory was handed to them very late on via a 92nd minute penalty from Bebe, who had only been on the pitch for three minutes having been a late substitute. He held his nerve to score and net a first goal of the season – and a first in LaLiga since March 2022 having spent last season on loan at Real Zaragoza. His goal did come 10 days after he netted for Cape Verde in their 5-1 loss to Algeria during the international break.
