Africa's Top Performing Players This Past Weekend in Europe

Africa's Top Performing Players This Past Weekend in Europe

Keba Mothoagae
updated at April 17, 2023 at 4:00 PM
In this article:
English Premier League logo
ENG Premier League
England
Italian Serie A logo
ITA Serie A
Italy
Spanish La Liga logo
SPA La Liga
Spain
  • With championships, continental football and survival on the line, it is heating up across Europe
  • Several African players put in impressive performances for respective teams this past weekend
  • If they were not scoring, these Africans were assisting or generally putting in good performances

Several African players were in good form for their teams across Europe this past weekend.

With league titles, participation in continental competitions, and surviving relegation at stake, these individuals were impressive when it came to the hopes and dreams of their clubs.

kelechi iheanacho, selim amallah, inaki williams, dango ouatarra, cyriel dessers, said benrahma,
Inaki Williams, Cyriel Dessers and Kelechi Iheanacho found the back of the net this past weekend. Image source: Getty Images.
Source: Getty Images

Sports Brief takes a look at which Africans stood out the most among those who did the business in the north.

Inaki Williams (Atletico Bilbao - Ghana)

Ghana international, Williams scored both goals for Athletic Bilbao in their 2-0 victory over Real Sociedad, taking his La Liga tally for the season to eight. He has found a purple patch of form late in the campaign and has now netted in three games in a row.

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Selim Amallah (Real Valladolid - Morocco)

Real Valladolid’s 2-1 away win at Europe-chasing Villarreal has put some daylight between themselves and the relegation zone, and Amallah had a heavy hand in the win with a goal and an assist. It was a second goal in as many games for the Moroccan midfielder, who is in his first season in La Liga following his arrival from Standard Liege.

Amallah opened the scoring against Villarreal after only two minutes, dancing his way through several challengers in the box before deftly finishing from six yards. It was then his ball that set fellow Moroccan, Jawad El Yamiq away on the left-hand side to score the side’s second.

Dango Ouattara (Bournemouth - Burkina Faso)

Ouattara scored his first goal for Bournemouth in their epic 3-2 victory over Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, which likely secured the south coast club’s top flight status for next season. His impending duck-breaking goal duly arrived dramatically in the 95th minute when he found space in the box and slipped the ball past Hugo Lloris, according to the BBC.

Said Benrahma (West Ham - Algeria)

Benrahma converted a pressure penalty for West Ham as they rallied from going two goals down early on to rescue a point against title-chasing Arsenal. The Algerian international brought them back into the contest at 2-1 when he scored from 12 yards, his ninth goal of the season in all competitions for a Hammers side that has struggled in the league but done well in the UEFA Conference League.

Kelechi Iheanacho (Leicester City - Nigeria)

Leicester City went three goals down inside 25 minutes at Manchester City, with the match becoming a damage limitation exercise for the visitors. They did pull a goal back via Nigerian striker, Iheanacho, who pounced on a simple rebound, via BBC Sport. He once called the Etihad Stadium home and this was goal number four in the Premier League for him this season and seven in all competitions.

Cyril Dessers (Cremonese - Nigeria)

Cremonese is playing for survival in the Serie A, so their 1-0 victory over Empoli was vital to their chances, even if it still leaves them seven points from safety with eight rounds remaining. It was the sixth goal of the campaign for the Nigerian star and possibly his most important yet, per Football Italia. It came after just four minutes as he controlled a long ball into the box and produced a composed finish from six yards to give his side the lead they maintained for the remainder of the match.

Supercomputer predicts Premier League favourites

Meanwhile, Manchester City's comfortable win over Leicester City has noticeably tipped the race to the Premier League title in their favour.

Sports Brief reported on a supercomputer has them as favourites over log-leading Arsenal, with eight more games until the campaign endsleaders Arsenal. This is with eight more games to go, with both teams set to meet in that time.

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Keba Mothoagae photo
Keba Mothoagae
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