Ahead of the UEFA Champions League set for midweek, some African professionals in Europe made their intentions quite clear at their respective clubs during the weekend.
In England, Sadio Mané raised the curtain with a brace on Saturday, as Liverpool finished a five-game flawless run in the Premier League with a 3-1 win over Newcastle United. The Senegal international now boasts of four goals with one assist from a total of 10 shots of which 60% went on target – a strong argument for his ongoing contract extension talks.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang took his EPL tally to five goals on Sunday after hitting home a double to hand his side Arsenal a dream start at Vicarage Road, but Watford fought back to level the scoreline at 2-2. The Gabonese remains the Gunners’ top scorer with 70% of his shots so far on target.
Southampton snatched a precious away victory against Sheffield United on Saturday thanks to Mali’s Moussa Djenepo. The 21-year-old, who was recruited from Standard Liège at €15.7 million in the summer, now has two goals to his name from three EPL appearances, two of which were substitutes.
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In France, Ivory Coast international Max Gradel salvaged a point for his side Toulouse in away fixture against Saint Etienne which ended in a 2-2 stalemate, while Mali striker Kalifa Coulibaly scored the winner for his team Nantes, who overcame Reims’ challenge in Ligue 1 on Sunday.
Monaco succumbed to a third defeat in five outings on Sunday, as visiting Marseille walked off with a 4-3 win, with Senegal’s Keita Balde scoring a late consolation for the hosts.
In the Netherland’s Eredivisie, Morocco forward Oussama Idrissi scored twice in his side AZ Alkmaar’s 5-1 whitewashing of Sparta Rotterdam, while Senegal U20 international Amadou Ciss was on target for Fortuna Sittard, who lost at home 2-3 FC Twente.
