Africans Abroad: Guirassy Scores Four While Lookman and Salah Shine Bright

Serhou Guirassy (28) and Ademola Lookman (27) were among several African players who found the back of the net during a goal-filled weekend.

England

Brentford enjoyed a resounding 4-0 victory away at Leicester City, with DR Congo’s Yoane Wissa and Cameroon’s Bryan Mbeumo both scoring.

Riding high after their recent 1-0 triumph at West Ham United, the Bees headed to the King Power Stadium, eager to secure another important away result.

It took just 17 minutes for them to break the deadlock, with Wissa finishing off a move set up by Mikkel Damsgaard. Ten minutes later, Mbeumo doubled the lead thanks to another assist from the Danish midfielder.

In a first half dominated by goals, captain Christian Norgaard added a third, and super-sub Fabio Carvalho capped off the scoring with a fourth just before the final whistle.

Over at Goodison Park, Abdoulaye Doucoure found the net as Everton drew 2-2 with Manchester United.

The Mali international provided the assist for Beto’s opening goal in the 19th minute before adding his own name to the scoresheet 13 minutes later.

Having established a two-goal lead at half-time, David Moyes’ side looked set for a memorable victory. However, the Red Devils had other plans, equalising through Bruno Fernandes and Uruguay’s Manuel Ugarte.

Meanwhile, a sensational performance by Mohamed Salah helped Liverpool secure a 2-0 win against Manchester City, enhancing their ambitions of clinching the league title.

In addition to scoring and assisting Dominik Szoboszlai, Salah also set new records. He has now both scored and assisted in 49 different league matches across Europe’s top five leagues, a feat only surpassed by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo with their respective tallies of 102 and 65 matches.

Furthermore, his goal at the Etihad Stadium marked his 16th away goal of the 2024/25 season, equalising the records set by Kevin Phillips in the 1999/00 season and Harry Kane in 2022/23.

Italy

Como edged further away from the relegation zone with a resilient 2-1 win over Serie A title challengers Napoli.

The Blue and Whites surged into an early lead just seven minutes in, courtesy of an own goal by Kosovo’s Amir Rrahmani, but the visitors fought back to equalise through Giacomo Raspadori ten minutes later.

As the match appeared destined for a draw, Senegalese talent Assane Diao struck the winner in the 77th minute, sending the home crowd into raptures.

This victory propelled Cesc Fabregas’ side up to 13th in the Italian top flight, while Napoli slipped to second, now one point behind leaders Inter Milan.

In another Serie A match, Atalanta trounced Empoli 5-0, with reigning African Player of the Year Ademola Lookman scoring twice.

The Nigerian forward entered the match following stern criticism from manager Gian Piero Gasperini for missing a penalty in the club’s 3-1 loss to Club Brugge in their Champions League outing.

Emmanuel Gyasi’s own goal in the 27th minute put Atalanta ahead, with leading scorer Mateo Retegui doubling the advantage shortly after.

Lookman netted the third goal in the 43rd minute and sealed his brace with another strike five minutes before the hour mark. Despite an outstanding performance, he was subbed off for Juan Cuadrado in the 76th minute.

Germany

Borussia Dortmund dismantled Union Berlin with a staggering 6-0 victory, highlighted by Serhou Guirassy’s remarkable four-goal haul.

Dortmund opened the scoring in the 25th minute when Diogo Leite inadvertently turned the ball into his own net, with Guirassy extending the lead five minutes later before halftime.

The striker completed a second-half hat-trick, with Maximilian Beier adding a sixth in a game filled with goals.

In other Bundesliga action, Hoffenheim managed to secure a 1-1 draw against Stuttgart, thanks to Gift Orban’s late equaliser, though they extended their home winless streak to eight matches.

Stuttgart took the lead in the ninth minute through Nick Woltemade, who finished confidently after being set up by Maximilian Mittelstadt. Despite an uninspired performance for large sections of the match, Hoffenheim found their footing when Orban scored in the 74th minute, making it his fourth goal in five appearances.