Europa League Quarter Finals: 7 Top African Stars Still Competing After Round of 16

• The 2023/24 UEFA Europa League Round of 16 has wrapped up
• Eight teams are through to the quarter-finals of the tournament
• Sports Brief looks at the top African stars whose teams remain

After the Round of 16 wrapped up on Thursday evening, the UEFA Europa League now moves ahead to the quarter-final stage.

Eight teams secured a place in the next round, with the other eight Euro teams left seeing their chance at silverware slip away.

With all eyes now looking forward to the last 8 draw, Sports Brief looks instead at the top five African players whose clubs qualified for the quarter-finals.

African players left in the UEL

1. Mohamed Salah

The Egyptian international returned to the starting line-up in Liverpool's Round of 16 second-leg tie against Sparta Prague after a spell on the sidelines.

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The former Chelsea star marked his return from injury with a hat-trick of assists and scored one in Jurgen Klopp's side's 6-1 win over the Czech club.

2. Mohammed Kudus

The former Ajax star was arguably the best player in West Ham United's 5-0 win over Freiburg in the Round of 16, as per BBC Sports.

The Ghanaian international scored a second-half brace, with his first goal of the night being described as a 'Lionel Messi-esque' goal.

3. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

The Gabonese striker is arguably the primary reason Olympique Marseille are through to the UEL's quarter-final stage after defeating Villarreal.

The ex-Barcelona star scored a brace in the first leg and set up an all-important goal in the second leg to guide the French side to the next round.

4. Samuel Chukwueze

The Super Eagles winger is through to the next round with his club AC Milan. The Italian side defeated Slavia Prague both home and away to secure a 7-3 win on aggregate.

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5. Ademola Lookman

The Nigerian international led his club, Atalanta, to a second-leg 2-1 win over Sporting Lisbon to book a place in the last eight.

He scored the Italian Serie A side's first goal in the second leg, with Gianluca Scamacca scoring the winner.

6. Edmond Tapsoba

The Burkina Faso defender was part of the Bayer Leverkusen team that staged a comeback 3-2 win over Qarabag after being two goals down.

7. Evan Ndicka

The former Frankfurt defender helped AS Roma into the last eight in the UEFA Europa League.

The Ivorian won the competition in the 2021-22 season, and he's still in contention to win his second title this campaign.

Kudus hits another iconic celebration in UEL

Sports Brief also reported on Kudus producing another iconic celebration after scoring in West Ham's win over Freiburg in the Europa League.

The Hammers defeated the German Bundesliga side 5-0 at the London Stadium on Thursday evening, with the Ghanaian celebrating in style.