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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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Former President of Moroccan club Raja sentenced to 3 years in prison

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The former President of Moroccan top club, Raja Casablanca, Mohamed Aouzal, has been sentenced to three and a half years in prison after he was found guilty of fraud by a Casablanca Ain Sebaa Court of First Instance on Friday.

According to court documents, the case involved charges of breach of trust and issuing a bounced check in connection with his role in the insurance sector.

Other charges against Aouzal included financial misconduct, specifically breach of trust and issuing a check without sufficient funds.

The documents stated that the legal action against Aouzal stemmed from a lawsuit filed by an insurance company and was found guilty of owing the company nearly MAD 400 million (around $40 million) as the legal representative of an insurance brokerage firm.

In addition to the prison sentence, the court also imposed a fine of MAD 20 million (approximately $2 million) in favor of the plaintiff company.

Aouzal was arrested following investigations by Morocco’s National Judicial Police Brigade after which he was charged before the Public Prosecutor at the Ain Sebaa Court and was placed in custody at Oukacha Prison.

The lawsuit, according to Morocco World News, pointed to significant financial irregularities in Aouzal’s brokerage firm, alleging that it failed to meet its financial obligations and caused substantial losses for the insurance company.

“The trial began on December 10 after Aouzal’s initial court appearance. The court examined the evidence and heard extensive arguments before entering deliberations earlier this week.

“On Friday, the judge ruled in favor of the insurance company due to the significant monetary damages incurred,” the report said.

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Dumping England for Nigeria the best decision of my life— Ademola Lookman

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Current African Men’s Footballer of the Year, Ademola Lookman, has attributed his rise in the football echelon to his decision to dump the English national team, The Three Lions, to play for the Super Eagles of Nigeria.

The Atalanta striker, who was named the African Player of the Year after a sterling 2024 season where he kept putting up superb performances for both club and country, credited the success of his career to his decision to snub England and commit to Nigeria.

“I think ever since I put on the Super Eagles jersey, it’s been fruitful,” Lookman said in an interview on SportyTV.

“We’ve been able to achieve a lot as a team and we’re still going as a team. But the camaraderie is something that’s very special within the squad.

“It is an incredible achievement and an incredible moment. It is special to join a list of many great players who have achieved a lot in the game. They are legends.

“There have been many special moments this year, and I can speak about a lot of good ones. But also the tough moments, like when you don’t feel like hitting the gym, but you push through and end up doing that session—it gives you more strength. Those difficult moments have given me that extra strength,” he said.

The Atalanta forward believes that his decision to represent Nigeria has contributed to a significant personal and professional growth, allowing him to continue thriving with the national team.

Before switching allegiance to play for the Super Eagles in 2022, Lookman had represented England at youth level, including winning the U-20 World Cup in 2017 but he had a stop-start career with stints at Everton, Fulham, and Leicester City, before he was shipped to Atalanta, initially on loan, before the move was made permanent.

But the turning point in Lookman’s career came when he decided to switch allegiance to Nigeria and has never looked back as everything he touched turned to gold.

The London-born Lookman made his Super Eagles debut in March 2022 against Ghana, and he has since described this moment as a turning point in his career.

He has scored eight goals and provided four assists and was the star man at the 2023 AFCON tournament where he netted three goals and registered one assist, and was named in the tournament team.

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