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African players in Europe: Salah back on goal trail
PARIS, Oct 22, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Reigning African Footballer of the Year
Mohamed Salah got back on the goal trail at the weekend, scoring the English
Premier League winner for Liverpool at Huddersfield.
After bagging 44 goals for the Reds in all 2017/2018 competitions, the
Egyptian has found defences far harder to breach this season, netting just
four times so far.
Algerian Riyad Mahrez, who Salah succeeded as African Footballer of the
Year, was among the scorers as defending champions Manchester City routed
Burnley 5-0 to remain top of the table.
England
MOHAMED SALAH (Liverpool)
After a difficult start following last season’s prolific campaign, Salah
ended a four-match goal drought for Liverpool in fine style when he calmly
latched on to Xherdan Shaqiri’s through ball and beat goalkeeper Jonas Lossl
with a well-angled shot as the title-chasing Reds won 1-0 at Huddersfield.
RIYAD MAHREZ (Manchester City)
The Algeria winger, City’s club-record signing, is looking increasingly
assured at the Etihad and scored the fourth goal in the champions’ 5-0 rout
of Burnley with a superb left-footed curling shot from just outside the area
seven minutes from time.
WILFRIED ZAHA (Crystal Palace)
A frustrating match for the Ivory Coast striker at Goodison Park saw him
earn a penalty when brought down by Seamus Coleman only for Luka
Milivojevic’s spot-kick to be saved by Jordan Pickford in a match Everton
went on to win 2-0.
Spain
CHEICK DOUKOURE/EMMANUEL BOATENG (Levante)
Ivorian Doukoure and Ghanaian Boateng helped Levante hold on for a 2-1 La
Liga victory at European champions Real Madrid. They both came off the bench
in the second half at the Santiago Bernabeu as Levante struck their first
away win over Real in 11 years. “Great win and good teamwork,” Boateng posted
in an Instagram message. Italy
KALIDOU KOULIBALY (Napoli)
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has reportedly told his board to
sign Senegal star Koulibaly, who continues to thrive at the heart of Carlo
Ancelotti’s central defence as he once again shone in the heat of the action
as Napoli strode to a 3-0 win at Udinese. The 27-year-old has played in every
Napoli league match this season and has been described as “the best defender
in the world” by former Italian international Guglielmo Stendardo.
Germany
SALOMON KALOU (Hertha Berlin)
The Ivory Coast veteran was a threat in Hertha’s 1-1 draw at home to
Freiburg with two clear second-half chances after Ondrej Duda’s early goal
for Berlin was cancelled out by Robin Koch. Kalou’s second-half replacement,
Palko Dardai, won a late penalty for Hertha, which was overturned after the
video assistant referee (VAR) spotted that he instigated the dive.
France
NICOLAS PEPE (Lille)
France-born Ivory Coast striker Pepe converted a first-half penalty to
give second-place Lille an early lead en route to a 2-1 victory at lowly
Dijon. It was his seventh Ligue 1 goal this season — two less than chart-
topper Kylian Mbappe of Paris Saint-Germain.
LEBO MOTHIBA (Strasbourg)
Mothiba returned from Africa Cup of Nations qualifying duty with South
Africa to increase the lead through an 84th-minute goal for seventh-place
Strasbourg in a 2-1 home victory over strugglers Monaco, who were playing for
the first time under new coach Thierry Henry.
BSS/AFP/FI/ 1915 hrs