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Too Good, Too Bad: How African players performed in Europe last weekend

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It was a good footballing weekend for a lot of African players as some of them posted superlative performances for their European club sides.

Egypt captain, Mohamed Salah was the hero for Liverpool, scoring the only goal as the Reds put aside their poor run of form to pip Manchester City 1-0 to kick start their faltering EPL season.

Also in England, Ghanaian international, Thomas Partey was in best element again as Arsenal laboured to a 1-0 win over Leeds United to maintain top spot in the league while Nigerian striker, Victor Osimhen came back from an injury induced layoff to net the winner in a 3-2 defeat of Bologna in the Serie .

Africannewswatch brings you a review of how the continent stars performed for their respective European clubs last weekend.

Mohamed Salah – Egypt/Liverpool

Egyptian captain, Mohamed Salah showed once again that he is a player for the big occasion as he scored the only goal as Liverpool truncated Manchester City’s unbeaten run in the EPL on Sunday.

Mohamed Salah was the hero at Anfield as Liverpool pipped Man City (Photo Credit:Getty Images)

Mohamed Salah was the hero at Anfield as Liverpool pipped Man City (Photo Credit:Getty Images)

After earlier missing a sitter when in a one-on-one situation with City keeper, Ederson, the 30-year-old kept his cool to slot past the Brazilian keeper.

The Pharaoh who got a long ball from Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker, managed to squeeze past Joao Cancelo, before racing clear to curl the ball with his left foot past Ederson.

Thomas Partey – Ghana/Arsenal

In an Arsenal team that did not come with their A-game against Leeds, Ghanaian international Thomas Partey, still put up a showing in the middle of the pack as the Gunners ran out 1-0 winners to maintain top spot in the EPL table.

Partey was on from the start and ensure the jaded Gunners did not lose their heads when Leeds turned on the screw after going a goal down courtesy of a Bukayo Saka’s screamer in the first half.

Thomas Partey was the man for Arsenal as they maintained top spot in the EPL(Photo Credit: Getty Images)

Thomas Partey was the man for Arsenal as they maintained top spot in the EPL(Photo Credit: Getty Images)

The win saw Mikel Arteta’s side extended their Premier League winning streak to nine matches following a hard-fought victory over the Peacocks.

Victor Osimhen – Nigeria/Napoli

In the Italian Serie A, Victor Osimhen, came back from an injury setback to grab the winner as Napoli came from behind to beat Bologna 3-2 to extend their unbeaten league run to 10, putting them top of the table.

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

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

The Super Eagles striker scored the winning goal as the Parthenopeans continued their blistering form at the start of the 2022-23 season after manager Luciano Spalletti brought him on for Giacomo Raspadori.

The former Lille striker sealed all three points for his side in the 69th minute after he was set up by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, scoring his third league goal of the season.

Sadio Mane – Senegal/Bayern Munich

The Senegalese Afcon winner scored his fifth Bundesliga goal of the season as Bayern Munich thumped hapless Freiburg 5-0 at Allianz Arena on Sunday.

Mane scored the fourth goal for the Bavarians after goals from Serge Gnabry who opened the scores with Cameroon international, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Leroy Sane added the second and third.

The 30-year-old Lion of Teranga vice captain is now joint sixth in the Bundesliga top scorers list, as well as being Bayern’s leading scorer in the league.

Ademola Lookman – Nigeria/Atalanta

Ademola Lookman made it two goals in two matches after he got on the scoresheet as Atalanta beat Sassuolo 2-1 on Saturday to climb top of the league before Napoli took over top spot the following day.

The Nigeria international scored the winning goal as Atalanta continued their imperious form at the start of the 2022-23 season with the Goddess unbeaten in 10 league games.

The Nigerian winger has four goals so far this season and is looking to be a shrewed but for Atalanta who snapped him up from RB Leipzig in the transfer window.

Ademola Lookman was the hero for Atalanta (Photo Credit: Atalanta FC)

Ademola Lookman was the hero for Atalanta (Photo Credit: Atalanta FC)

Mohammed Kudus – Ghana/Ajax

After a rare blip the previous weeks Ghana international Mohammed Kudua came off the bench to register his name on the scoresheet as Ajax thrashed Excelsior 7-1 in an Eredivisie fixture on Sunday.

So far, Kudus has scored five league goals from 10 appearances and is ranked joint sixth in the Eredivisie top scorers chart, as well as being the Ajax’s third-top league scorer.

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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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