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

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It was another weekend of scintillating football action as African football stars filed out for their respective clubsides in different leagues and competitions in Europe.

While some came out smiling, others had no reason to laugh due to poor individual performances or their team’s performance.

In the EPL, Riyad Mahrez missed a crucial penalty for Manchester City that would have seen them defeat West Ham and place the league title firmly in their hands.

For the African quartet in Liverpool, Sadio Mane, Naby Keita, Joel Matip, and Mohamed Salah, it was a collective joy as they lifted another trophy this season after beating Chelsea which had Edouard Mendy and Hakim Ziyech in the FA Cup.

We bring you a review of how African stars performed for their European clubs in the past weekend.

Too Good:

Victor Osimhen: Napoli

Super Eagles of Nigeria striker, Victor Osimhen, scored his 14th Serie A goal of the season when he fired Napoli to a 3-0 victory over Genoa.

The Lagos-born Osimhen got his club’s opener in the 32nd minute before Lorenzo Insigne and Stanislav Lobotka, also got on the score sheet to take the match out of Genoa’s reach.

Taiwo Awoniyi: Union Berlin

Taiwo Awoniyo was the hero for Union Berlin with a brace as his German club ran out 3-2 winners against Bochum in their last Bundesliga game of the season.

Awoniyi got Berlin’s second goal from the penalty spot in the 25th minute before netting the third in the 88th minute as they finished the season fifth on 57 points.

Jeffrey Schlupp, Marc Guehi: Crystal Palace

Jeffrey Schlupp and Marc Guehi were instrumental for the Eagles as they both combined to produce Palace’s equalizer against Aston Villa in the 81st minute after Steven Gerrard’s men had taken a 69th-minute lead.

Schlupp got the equaliser with an assist from Guehi just three minutes and 37 seconds after he came off the bench.

Schlupp has now scored five league goals as a substitute for Palace, with no player netting more such goals for the Eagles outside Dwight Gayle who also has five.

Too Bad:

Sadio Mane: Liverpool

Sadio Mané was on the ‘too bad’ list despite Liverpool winning the English FA Cup against Chelsea, as he missed his spot-kick in the shootout.

His national team mate Edouard Mendy managed to save Mane’s penalty but his blushes were saved as the Merseysiders went on to win the shoot-out contest by a 6-5 margin.

Salah was injured in the 33rd minute, while Keita was replaced as James Milner came on. Matip took Virgil van Dijk’s place when Jurgen Klopp made a 90th-minute change, while Mali-eligible Ibrahima Konate played from start to finish.

Edouard Mendy, Hakim Ziyech: Chelsea

Both Mendy and Ziyech were involved in the English FA Cup final loss to Liverpool.

They both played critical roles in the match as Mendy kept a clean sheet before the penalty shootout and stopped international teammate Mane from converting his penalty while Ziyech scored one of Chelsea’s penalties, but their efforts could not deny Liverpool the trophy at Wembley Stadium.

Samuel Kalu, Oghenekaro Etebo: Watford

Both Nigerian stars were involved as Watford confirmed their relegation from the EPL to the Championship when they suffered a 5-1 defeat at the hands of Leicester City at Vicarage Road.

While Kalu started and played the entire duration of the game, Etebo came on as a substitute as the Hornets suffered their 15th home league defeat of the season, the joint-most by any side in a single English top-flight campaign, level with Blackpool in 1966-67 and Stoke City in 1984-85.

Riyad Mahrez: Man City

The Algerian captain missed a penalty for Manchester City during their game against West Ham which ended in a 2-2 draw.

The Citizens had to fight back from 2-0 down, but Mahrez let them down with a missed penalty that would have given them the lead and kept the gap with Liverpool wider.

Mahrez has missed two penalties in all competitions for Manchester City, his first being against Liverpool in October 2018, and the miss against West Ham being the second. He has converted nine penalties since joining City from Leicester.

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TP Mazembe pip AS FAR to win African Women’s Champions League

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TP Mazembe of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) became the third team to win the 2024 African Women’s Champions League after narrowly defeating AS FAR of Morocco 1-0 in the final played on Sunday at the El Jadida’s Stade Ben Ahmed El Abdi Stadium.

TP Mazembe claimed the title for the first time courtesy of a 10th minute penalty which was converted by Marlene Kasaj after AS FAR captain Aziza Rabbah handled the ball in the box.

The Congolese side should have doubled their lead six minutes later when an unmarked Merveille Kanjinga fired wide from seven yards out before the more fancied home team gradually grew into the match and looked to cancel the deficit and add to their continental triumph in 2022.

But AS FAR put in a subdued display and failed to test Mazembe’s goalkeeper Fideline Ngoy, with tournament top scorer Doha El Madani who had netted six goals in their run to the final, wasting their best chance as she sliced a first-half free-kick wide.

With the triumph, TP Mazembe carted home the giant trophy and a cheque for $600,000 (£479,000) after the prize money was increased for the fourth edition of the tournament, while the AS FAR went home with $400,000 (£319,000).

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Sports

Wafcon 2024 draw throws up interesting pairings

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The draw for the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) holding in Morocco from July 5 to 26 next year which was held on Friday, threw up some interesting match-ups to look forward to as hosts Morocco found themselves in what has been described as the group of death.

The Atlas Lionesses will have to contend with Zambia, DR Congo and Senegal in Group A, while Group B has record 11-time continental champions, the Super Falcons of Nigeria slugging it out with Tunisia, Algeria and Botswana, just as current defending champions, Banyana Banyana of South Africa will do battle with Ghana, Mali and Tanzania in Group C.

The top two sides in each group will progress to the quarter-finals, alongside the two best third-placed finishers.

Though qualification for the 2024 Wafcon was completed in December last year, the Confederation of African Football (CAF), was forced to push the finals into 2025 because of international football’s congested calendar, which included the participation of Nigeria and Zambia at the Olympics.

Morocco also staged the 2022 edition of Wafcon, ending as runners-up, and former international Fatiha Laassiri believes home support will provide “a real advantage” next year.

Wafcon 2024 group draw with world ranking in brackets:

Group A: Morocco (hosts, 59), Zambia (62), Senegal (83), DR Congo (102).

Group B: Nigeria (36), Tunisia (78), Algeria (84), Botswana (153).

Group C: South Africa (holders, 50), Ghana (66), Mali (81), Tanzania (145).

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