As is usually the case, Mohamed Salah stood out as one of Africa’s top performers in Europe over the weekend, scoring a brace against Southampton.
England
Liverpool brightened their Premier League title hopes with a convincing 3-1 win over Southampton, with Mohamed Salah scoring twice.
With Darwin Nunez cancelling out Will Smallbone’s opener, the Egypt international netted a brace from the penalty mark to help the Reds secure victory.
In the process, Salah equalled Sergio Aguero’s haul of 184 goals to become the joint-fifth top scorer in Premier League history.
At Selhurst Park, Ismaila Sarr was Crystal Palace’s hero as they recorded a slim 1-0 win over Ipswich Town.
With eight minutes left to play in London, the Senegal international scored the only goal of the keenly-contested affair for his seventh strike of the 2024-25 campaign.
That result moved the Eagles to the 11th position in the log while the newly promoted side dropped to 18th with just 17 points accrued after 25 matches.
Elsewhere, Marshall Munetsi’s first Premier League goal rescued Wolves from defeat as they settled for a 1-1 draw at home to Everton. The Zimbabwean levelled matter for the hosts after Jack Harrison had given the Toffees a 30th-minute lead at the Molineaux Stadium.
Another African on target in the English elite division was Pape Matar Sarr during Tottenham Hotspur’s 2-2 draw at home to Bournemouth.
Despite the Cherries taking a two-goal lead thanks to Marcus Tavernier and Evanilson, the Senegalese star sparked the revival by pulling one back for the hosts in the 67th minute.
Captain Son then sealed the comeback, converting a penalty with just six minutes remaining.
Italy
Maxwell Cornet ensured Genoa played out a 1-1 draw at Cagliari in the Serie A encounter with a well-taken goal.
Still lamenting their 1-1 draw at home to Empoli in their previous match, they travelled to the Unipol Domus with the ambition of returning to winning ways, but it was the hosts who struck first when Nicolas Viola scored in the 18th minute.
However, the Cote d’Ivoire international ensured points were shared after finding the net in the 47th minute after profiting from Caleb Ekuban’s assist.
Former Senegal international Keita Balde was on target for Monza but that could not rescue his side from losing 3-2 to Inter Milan.
The former Lazio star got his side’s second goal in the five-goal thriller, but the league leaders woke back from their slumber to record a notable comeback victory.
Elsewhere in Italy, reigning African Player of the Year Ademola Lookman continued his impressive form as he contributed a goal in Atalanta’s 4-0 decimation of Juventus.
With goals from Mateo Retegui, Davide Zappacosta, and Marten de Roon putting Gian Piero Gasperini’s side 3-0 up at the Allianz Stadium in Turin, the Nigerian forward sealed the win with a fourth goal in the 77th minute.
The result kept his team firmly in the hunt for the Serie A title, though Inter Milan and Napoli remain in first and second place, respectively.
Germany
Wolfsburg were held to a 1-1 draw at home by FC St. Pauli on Bundesliga Matchday 25.
Siebe van der Heyden had given the visitors the lead in the 38th minute, but Algerian star Mohammed Amoura equalised for Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side with a penalty in the 70th minute at the Volkswagen Arena.
The result leaves the Wolves in seventh place in the Bundesliga with 38 points from 25 league matches.
Elsewhere, Ibrahima Sissoko was among the goalscorers as Bochum shocked ten-man Bayern Munich with a 3-2 victory at the Allianz Arena.
The hosts were in cruise control at the start of the match, with Raphael Guerreiro’s brace giving Vincent Kompany’s side a two-goal lead within the first 28 minutes. However, in a dramatic turnaround, the visitors fought back to secure a famous win.
Jakov Medic quickly pulled one back for Bochum in the 31st minute, before Mali international Ibrahima Sissoko levelled the scores in the 51st minute. Matus Bero then sealed the victory with his goal in the 71st minute.
Spain
Valencia striker Umar Sadiq continued his impressive La Liga goalscoring form against Real Valladolid, with the Nigeria international netting the winning goal for Los Che in their 2-1 victory over the visitors at Mestalla Stadium.
With this latest goal, Sadiq has now scored four times from his four shots on target in La Liga since February 1. This remarkable feat gives him the highest conversion rate in the competition, a perfect 100%.