The continent’s finest stars wasted little time getting back into their groove following the end of the international break. We present the best performances from African footballers in your favourite weekly football recap.
KOUAMÉ SALVAGES A POINT FOR EMPOLI
Winless in their last fourteen league games, Empoli FC visited AS Como at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia, aiming to snap a run of consecutive league defeats.
Goal-scoring chances were few and far between as both sides failed to find the opener in the opening half. Empoli nearly found the opener in the 51st minute through Christian Kouamé, but his shot crashed against the upright. Como made a trio of second-half substitutions, and the coach’s decisive choices paid off as substitute Anastasios Douvikas opened the scoring in the 61st minute.
The goal seemingly sparked the away side into action as they found the equaliser through on-loan Ivorian striker Kouamé. Kouamé rose highest in the box to guide Giuseppe Pezzella’s cross into the top corner from close range. It was his maiden Serie A goal for Empoli after joining from Fiorentina in the January transfer window. After a prolonged wait, he has finally netted his first league goal in the Italian league this season, in his 25th league appearance.
A red card to Empoli midfielder Jacopo Fazzini in the additional minutes of the game failed to swing the match in Como’s favour. Empoli remains without a win in 15 consecutive Serie A matches.
THE RED HOT SARR STRIKES AGAIN
Having knocked out Millwall in the FA Cup 5th round, Crystal Palace visited Fulham at Craven Cottage in their FA Cup quarter-final fixture, aiming to secure a spot in the semi-finals.
Palace nearly grabbed the lead early on through Ismaila Sarr, but his thunderous effort from outside the box crashed against the upright. Despite Fulham dominating for most of the first half, Palace netted the opening goal through their talisman Eberechi Eze in the 34th minute. Receiving a pass on the left wing, he cut in onto his right foot and curled the ball into the net beautifully from about 20 yards out.
Eze was at it once again as his perfectly weighted low cross was prodded into the net by Senegalese forward Ismaila Sarr with a close-range header. Sarr has been in top form recently, and it was his fourth goal in four games. Simply inevitable!
70th-minute substitute Eddie Nketiah completed the rout for Palace in the 75th minute as they cruised to the FA cup semi-finals, where they’ll face Aston Villa in their first appearance in the semis since 2022.
PATHE CISS LEADS VALLECANO TO THE WIN
Rayo Vallecano visited Deportivo Alaves at the Mendizorroza, aiming to get back to winning ways following their draw against Real Sociedad before the international break.
The visitors got off to a dream start as Senegalese midfielder Pathe Ciss opened the scoring in the 2nd minute of the game. Ciss reacted quickly and connected well with Unai Lopez’s cross from a corner at the near post to open the scoring, flicking the ball beyond the goalie in a clinical fashion. The goal was his third in La Liga this season and Vallecano’s third goal from a corner this season.
The hosts were given a golden chance to find an equaliser. However, Joan Jordan spurned the opportunity with a failed panenka from the penalty spot as the visitors took the lead into the break. Vallecano doubled their lead after the restart as Pedro Díaz justified his inclusion and netted a stunning goal in the 58th minute, four minutes after his introduction, to extinguish any hopes of a comeback for the hosts and secure the three points. The visitors held on for the three points, snapping their five-game winless run in style.
BONIFACE BACK AMONG THE GOALS
Knowing very well that every point matters in their unlikely title defence bid, Bayer Leverkusen welcomed VFL Bochum to BayArena, aiming to secure a vital win.
The hosts grabbed the opener through Spanish midfielder Aleix García’s superb goal from the edge of the box in the 20th minute. Bochum have a knack for getting under the skin of big teams, and they were heavily invested in giving the Bundesliga Champions a difficult time. They grabbed the equaliser six minutes after Leverkusen’s opener, drawing level through Felix Passlack. There was nothing to separate both sides at the break.
The hosts were undeterred, and they went ahead once again on the stroke of the hour mark through Nigerian striker Victor Boniface. Garcia’s cross from a set piece was turned into the path of Boniface by Piero Hincapié at the far post, and the Nigerian Striker hit it the first time into an empty net. A goal straight from the training ground! Relief and joy for the striker as he ended his goal-scoring drought.
Following a well-worked team move, Boniface thought he had grabbed his second in the 80th minute, but his goal was ruled out for offside. In the 71st minute, substitute Amine Adli grabbed the third goal for the hosts to all but confirm the three points in the 87th minute of the game. It was a quick counterattack as the hosts turned defence into attack. Exequiel Palacios threaded a pass beautifully into Adli’s path, and the young striker applied a calm finish.
It was the Moroccan striker’s second league goal this season. Three points for the Champions!
TOURE EDGES SIMON IN THRILLER
Relegation-threatened Le Havre played host to FC Nantes at the Stade Océane in the latest episode of their fight for survival in the French top flight.
The hosts got off to a perfect start as France-born Guinean midfielder Abdoulaye Touré netted the opener in the 13th minute from the penalty spot, after Nantes’ defender Saïdou Sow was penalized for handling the ball in the box. He has now netted in three consecutive appearances for Le Havre.
The visitors didn’t take too long to grab an equaliser as on-loan Guinean centre-back Saïdou Sow grabbed his maiden Ligue 1 goal for Nantes to level matters in the 23rd minute, nodding Nicolas Pallois’ pinpoint cross into the back of the net. Redemption for the centre-back after his mistake led to the opener for Le Havre. Game on!
The hosts were awarded another penalty when Sow brought Toure down clumsily. All eyes were on the midfielder, who stepped up to bury the penalty with a coolly taken penalty in the 27th minute, sending the goalie the wrong way. The hosts took the lead into the break.
Nantes came flying on all cylinders after the restart and leveled proceedings once again. They carved Le Havre open piece by piece, and Moses Simon was on hand to turn Matthis Abline’s cutback into the net, capping off a well-worked team move three minutes into the second half. He has surpassed his highest single-season scoring tally in Ligue 1 and is approaching double figures in goals and assists for Nantes this season.
In search of the winner, both sides made a couple of second half substitutions and Le Havre got the last laugh as Timothée Pembélé netted the winner in the 88th minute. Delight for the home fans as they recorded their first home win in Ligue 1 since November 2024, bringing an end to a miserable run.
