In this weekly football recap episode, we look at all the action from title-winning goals to Puskas-worthy strikes and playmaking masterclasses from African players across Europe for the highlight reels.
CARLOS BALEBA STEALS THE SHOW WITH A STUNNING LATE WINNER
Stuttering Premier League side Brighton FC played host to an out-of-form West Ham United side at the Falmer Stadium, with both sides aiming to snap their winless runs.
Brighton drew first blood as Swedish midfielder Yasin Ayari opened the scoring with a thunderbolt in the 13th minute. Simon Adingra seemingly doubled Brighton’s lead in the 37th minute, but his goal was ruled out for offside. Both sides were evenly matched in the first half, and Ayari’s goal was the difference at the break.
West Ham found their finishing touch three minutes into the second half as Mohammed Kudus nicked an equaliser for the London side. Jarrod Bowen made a darting run down the right and pulled a cutback to Mohammed Kudus, who applied a simple finish into the bottom corner.
With the game open for the taking, Brighton made four substitutions. The match turned on its head in the closing minutes, and West Ham grabbed the lead in the 83rd minute through Tomáš Souček’s diving header. That was when things got really interesting for Brighton. Kaoru Mitoma got in on the action and netted an equaliser for the hosts with a header of his own in the 89th minute.
Not willing to be outdone by his teammate, Carlos Baleba picked up the ball about 35 yards from goal, took two touches, and unleashed an unstoppable screamer into the top corner in the 92nd minute, leaving the spellbound goalie helpless. Unbelievable! A belter from the wildest parts of his imagination. You simply can’t strike a ball better than that!
The Cameroonian midfielder picked a grand, well-timed occasion to net his third league goal for Brighton this season, keeping their European hopes alive. His late winner helped Brighton to their first win in five games, while West Ham are now winless in seven league games.
MO SALAH STARS AS LIVERPOOL SEAL PREMIER LEAGUE TITLE
Mo Salah starred as Premier League table toppers Liverpool FC clinched the Premier League title in style with a resounding victory over Tottenham Hotspur.
The Reds played host to Spurs at Anfield, knowing that all they needed was a win to confirm their status as Premier League Champions. Spurs took the lead against the run of play through former Liverpool man Dominic Solanke in the 12th minute, his goal sparking the hosts back to life. The Reds wasted no time at drawing level as Luis Diaz netted an equaliser for them four minutes after going behind, and Dominik Szoboszlai cut back Salah’s inch-perfect through pass to Diaz for a simple tap-in.
Despite having a goal ruled out for offside, the Reds were undeterred, and Alexis Mac Allister powered a thumping effort from 20 yards out into the back of the net in the 24th minute. An insane worldie! Cody Gakpo netted a third goal for Liverpool in the 34th minute, effectively putting them in a strong position going into the break.
Unwilling to let his teammates have all the fun, Salah grabbed Liverpool’s fourth goal in the 63rd minute as Tottenham’s leaky defence was unable to keep him out. Szoboszlai darted towards the penalty area as the Reds turned defence to attack in the blink of an eye before releasing Salah down the right. In trademark fashion, the Egyptian winger cut in onto his right foot past Destiny Udogie and fired the ball into the net, beating the goalie at his near post to all but confirm The Reds as Premier League Champions, sending the passionate fans at Anfield into a frenzy.
The goal was his 28th league goal of the season and the Egyptian winger has now surpassed Sergio Aguero as the highest scoring foreign international in PL history. Another game, another record!
Destiny Udogie’s calamitous own goal added a fifth for Liverpool in the 69th minute as they condemned Spurs to a third consecutive league defeat and clinched the Premier League title in style. What a season it has been for Liverpool and Salah! His otherworldly brilliance has been behind Liverpool’s triumph this season.
GUIRASSY THE HERO AS DORTMUND CLAIMS IMPORTANT VICTORY
Embroiled in a gruelling battle for Champions League qualification, Borussia Dortmund visited TSG Hoffenheim at the Rhein-Neckar Arena, knowing fully well that a win would take them closer to their UCL goal. In-form striker Serhou Guirassy gave Dortmund a much-desired lead in the 20th minute. Julian Brandt teased a lofted pass into the path of Daniel Svensson, and the Swedish wing back unselfishly squared the ball to Guirassy, who applied a clean finish. He can’t just stop scoring! With 17 league goals for The Black and Yellow this season, the Guinean striker is closing in on 20 league goals for The black and Yellow. The goal stood despite a brief VAR check for offside.
Unfortunately, Guirassy missed a golden chance to double the visitors’ lead in the 34th minute, flunking his penalty as the opposition goalkeeper denied him resolutely. Dortmund took the lead into the break as Hoffenheim’s equaliser was ruled out for offside.
Hoffenheim grabbed a 61st-minute equalizer through Adam Hložek after the restart. Looking to swing the match in their favour, both sides made a couple of substitutions. Julian Brandt restored Dortmund’s lead in the 74th minute before Pavel Kadeřábek’s emphatic header drew Hoffenheim level again in the 90th minute to set up a nervy finish.
Dortmund’s relentless probing paid off as Waldemar Anton powered the winner for Dortmund in the 95th minute to send the away fans into raptures. Guirassy’s deft flick to Carney Chukwuemeka was cleared by the goalie, and the clearance fell to Guirassy on the edge of the box. The striker teased the ball into Anton’s path, who applied a delightful finish into the empty net. Euphoria for Dortmund as they edge closer to a Champions League qualification spot.
SINAYOKO’S PLAYMAKING MASTERCLASS HELPS AUXERRE DECIMATE LENS
Aiming to bounce back from consecutive league defeats, Ligue 1 side AJ Auxerre visited RC Lens at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis. Lassine Sinayoko pulled the strings as Auxerre thrashed Lens in ruthless fashion away from home. Sinayoko teed Nigerian-Japanese international Ado Onaiwu for the opener in the 33rd minute. Receiving a pass about 35 yards from goal, Sinayoko outmuscled his marker before driving forward and threading a through pass into Onsiwu’s path, and the latter finished beautifully.
The Malian forward was again the orchestrator as Gaëtan Perrin doubled Auxerre’s lead seven minutes after their opener. Sinayoko squared the ball into Perrin’s path, and the latter rounded the goalie up before slotting the ball into the net calmly. Double delight!
Sinayoko completed his hat-trick of assists in the 44th minute as he set Onaiwu up again for the latter’s brace. An interception in midfield was released into Sinayoko’s path. Taking the ball in his strides, he released Onaiwu down the left channel, and the latter cut in before lashing the ball into the net with a slight deflection. A trio of assists in 11 minutes to give Auxerre clear daylight in the first half. Sinayoko is the first player to notch a hat-trick of assists in Ligue 1 since May 2023.
A 74th-minute goal by Ki-Jana Hoever helped the visitors complete a thorough decimation of Lens as they got back to winning ways in style. Sinayoko pulled the strings to help Auxerre to their biggest away win in Ligue 1 since 2010. With his three assists, he has now recorded 10 G/A in the French Top Flight this season.
AMINE GOUIRI NETS PUSKAS WORTHY OVERHEAD KICK IN CLINICAL SHOWING
As the battle for European qualification spots heats up in the French League, second-placed Ligue 1 side Olympique Marseille welcomed Stade Brest to the Stade Vélodrome, aiming to solidify their second-place standing. Algerian forward Amine Gouiri was the star of the show as he netted a memorable hat-trick to give Les Olympiens a vital victory. Gouiri gave the hosts a perfect start to the game as he found the back of the net eight minutes into the game. The Algerian international controlled Luis Henrique’s cross perfectly and finished expertly through the defender’s legs from a tight angle.
On loan striker Abdallah Sima leveled proceedings for Brest in the 25th minute, the Senegalese forward finishing emphatically from close range after Ludovic Ajorque failed to control the ball well. Brest’s luck seemed to run out as centre back Brendan Chardonnet turned a shot into his own net. Things went from bad to worse for the visitors as Gouiri grabbed his second in the 45th minute for Marseille with a stroke of genius. A cross was teased into Gouiri’s path. The Algerian controlled the ball with his chest, lofting it into the air to set it up before finishing with a jaw-dropping overhead kick. A stunning beauty!
His brace gave them a huge advantage going into the second half. Gouiri was too much for the Brest defence to handle and he completed his hat-trick in the 63rd minute. Adrien Rabiot released a pass in behind the defence for Gouiri, the striker took aim from the edge of the box and applied an excellent finish. Despite a VAR check for offside, the goal was awarded as he notched the second hat-trick of his career in a clinical display.
Four minutes after netting his treble, Gouiri was substituted for Jonathan Rowe. The Algerian forward has been a revelation for Marseille since he joined them from Stade Rennes in January, registering 7 goals and 3 assists across 11 league appearances.
He is the first player to score three goals in a top-flight game for Marseille since Arkadiusz Milik in February 2022.
GOAL-SIMHEN SIMPLY CAN’T STOP SCORING
Eyüpspor played host to Gakatasary SK at the Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Stadyumu as the visitors were looking to consolidate further their position at the top of the Turkish League Table. Victor Osimhen nearly gave the Turkish Champions the lead in the 2nd minute, but his stinging shot crashed off the upright. The visitors opened the scoring through Roland Sallai in the 29th minute. Sallai was on hand to tap Osimhen’s flicked header from a corner kick into the net at the far post.
Sallai’s goal was the difference between the two sides at the halftime break. Galatasaray came out firing on all cylinders after the break, and they doubled their lead through Lucas Torreira in the 56th minute. Star striker Osimhen got in on the act in the 71st minute. Receiving a pass from Alvaro Morata, the towering Nigerian striker flicked the ball over the head of the defender and fired the ball at goal. His initial effort was blocked, and he reacted quickly to redirect the ball into the back of the net. In another game, there was another goal for Osimhen, as he netted his 22nd league goal this season with five assists to boot in 26 league appearances.
He was substituted in the 76th minute for Ahmed Kutucu. Luccas Claro netted a consolation goal for Eyüpspor in the 79th minute before substitute Alvaro Morata netted a brace late on to seal the win for Galatasaray.
