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Four African players who set the UEFA Champion League on fire

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The match day four of the UEFA Champions League proved to be a good day for African players who were involved for their various teams as they came out firing from all cylinders.

Liverpool’s Egyptian striker, Mohamed Salah showed that his troubles in the EPL remains in England as he needed only six minutes, 12 seconds to score a hat trick at the Ibrox as the Reds hammered host Rangers 7-1.

Victor Osimhen (Photo Credit:NFC)

Victor Osimhen (Photo Credit:NFC)

In the process, the Pharaoh captain set a record by scoring the fastest hat-trick in the history of the competition. And he achieved that feat after coming off the bench!

Nigerian striker, Victor Osimhen also proved to be a handful as he announced his return from injury to nick a goal in a 4-2 thrashing of hapless Ajax while Sadio Mané once again, showed why Bayern Munich pulled every trick to sign him from Liverpool by bagging two goals again Plazen.

On Tuesday, ex-Gabonese captain scored his second goal in as many matches when he fired Chelsea’s second goal against AC Milan to underscore his importance to the Blues.

Africannewswatch brings you a review of how the African stars performed for their teams.

Victor Osimhen – Napoli

Victor Osimhen came off the bench to score Napoli’s fourth goal as they thrashed Ajax 4-2, his first UCL goal for the Italians as the Parthenopeans go through to the next round with a 100 percent record.

The Nigerian international who had been out with an injury he sustained in match day one against Liverpool, was introduced in the 50th minute for Giacomo Raspadori and got his goal with a minute left on the clock after he drilled the ball past goalkeeper Remko Pasveer.

Victor Osimhen is back with a bang (Photo Credit: Napoli FC)

Victor Osimhen is back with a bang (Photo Credit: Napoli FC)

Aside from his goal, the former Lille forward had three shots on target, one key pass, and won one aerial challenge won.

According to Opta, Osimhen was caught offside on three occasions, contributed 15 touches, had nine passes and a passing accuracy of 77.8 percent in the duration he stayed on the pitch.

Mohamed Salah – Liverpool

Mohammed Salah became an history maker by scoring the fastest-ever
hat-trick in the UEFA Champions League as Liverpool put their EPL woes behind them to rout Rangers of Scotland 7-1 at the Ibrox.

Salah was left on the bench from the start by Jurgen Klopp but came off the bench to score three times in a space of six minutes and 12 seconds, the fastest hat-trick in the history of the competition.

The Egyptian captain is back in his element (Photo Credit: Getty Images)

The Egyptian captain is back in his element (Photo Credit: Getty Images)

Salah’s hat-trick obliterated the previous record set by Lyon”s Bafetimbi Gomis, who netted an hat-trick against Dinamo Zagreb in the 2011-12 Champions League group stage in eight minutes.

Salah also required fewer touches to get his goals while all three goals were assisted by the same player, Diogo Jota, another first since 2012.

Sadio Mané – Bayern Munich

Sadio Mané once again, showed his importance for Bayern Munich when he scored once and created one assist as the German champions defeated Viktoria Plzen in Wednesday’s Champions League fixture.

The Senegalese Afcon winner gave an all round performance in the six-goal thriller inside Doosan Arena Plzen, and handed the Bavarians a 10th-minute lead after he was set up by Leon Goretzka.

Sadio Mané is enjoying his time in Bayern Munich (Photo Credit: Getty Images)

Sadio Mané is enjoying his time in Bayern Munich (Photo Credit: Getty Images)

Apart from the goal, the former Liverpool forward was in an inspiring form with statistics showing he accounted for two shots, two key passes, two aerials won, and one dribble.

The result also guaranteed Bayern a place in the next round with two matches to spare.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – Chelsea

Earlier on Tuesday, the former Gabonese captain propelled Chelsea to a 2-0 win over AC Milan to brighten their chances of qualifying for the knockout stage.

Aubameyang scored his second successive UEFA Champions League goal for Chelsea by netting in the 34th minute after Jorgino had given the Blues the lead via a penalty in the 19th minute.

Aubameyang made it two in two for Chelsea (Photo Credit: CFC)

Aubameyang made it two in two for Chelsea (Photo Credit: CFC)

Former Chelsea academy graduate, Fikayo Tomori was the culprit in giving away the penalty for a foul on Merson Mount which also earned him a sending off.

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Coach of Mamelodi Sundowns female team suspended over sexual harassment allegations

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The head coach of Mamelodi Sundowns women’s team, Jerry Tshabalala, has been suspended indefinitely amid allegations of sexual harassment of players.

A statement by the management of the top South African team said the 44-year-old Tshabalala, who has been in charge of Sundowns’s women’s team for over a decade, has been accused of a number of allegations, including making inappropriate sexual comments to his players, as well as entering the dressing room and refusing to leave while players are completely naked.

In a statement released on Saturday, Sundowns said they had appointed a law firm to investigate the allegations against the coach with specific instructions to unravel allegations of improper conduct by the Tshabalala.

The club said it views the allegations in a very serious light and has relieved the coach of his appointment pending when the investigations are concluded.

“Sundowns has, in the interim, put Coach Jerry Tshabalala on special leave pending the outcome of the investigation,” the club statement said.

“This is not done to pre-empt the outcome of the investigation, but to ensure that the investigation can proceed expeditiously and protect the rights of all parties.

“In the event that the investigation establishes facts that warrant action, the Board will immediately take such steps as are appropriate.

Mamelodi Sundowns will in due course make announcements on the findings of the investigation and the action to be taken,” the statement concluded.

The Sundowns female team have been a dominant force in women’s football in South Africa and on the continent since Tshabalala took over in 2012, winning seven domestic league titles, as well as two CAF Women’s Champions League crowns.

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FIFA Ranking: Nigeria ends 2024 as fifth best team in Africa

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Nigeria’s men’s football national team, the Super Eagles, ended the year 2024 as the fifth best team in Africa in the latest FIFA world ranking for the month of December.

According to the rankings published by the world football governing body, Nigeria remains unchanged from its previous position, despite having a challenging international break.

The FIFA rankings also reveal that Nigeria suffered a significant decline this year, dropping eight places to end 2024 ranked 44th globally.

The decline follows disappointing performances during the final AFCON qualifiers for 2025, where the Super Eagles struggled against the Benin Republic and Rwanda, resulting in a lack of wins.

However, some of the Super Eagles bitter rivals like South Africa’s Bafana Bafana experienced a resurgence, climbing three positions to finish the year ranked 57th in the world, showing a marked improvement in their recent form and successful matches during the qualifiers.

It was a woeful year for West African rivals Ghana who ended the year in 77th position, which highlights the challenges the Black Stars have encountered in the outgoing year in its bid to maintain its positions among Africa’s elite teams.

Meanwhile, the Moroccan national football team, the Atlas Lion, retained its 14th position in the in the world while still maintaining its number one spot in Africa, holding the first position for the third year in a row.

In the world ranking, Morocco is followed by Senegal on 17th position, Egypt, 33rd, Algeria 37th, Nigeria, 44th, Côte d’Ivoire, 46th, Cameroon, 49th, Mali, 51st, and Tunisia in the 52nd position.

Top 10 African teams in 2024

1. Morocco – (14th)

2. Senegal – (17th)

3. Egypt – (33rd)

4. Algeria – (37th)

5. Nigeria – (44th)

6. Côte d’Ivoire – (46th)

7. Cameroon – (49th)

8. Mali – (51st )

9. Tunisia – (52nd)

10. South Africa – (57th)

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