Another week of interesting contests in Europe’s elite football club cup competition, the UEFA Champions League saw at least 30 African players feature.
Results were nothing short of spectacular as giants fell and small teams rose to get counted in the mix.
African footballers who featured all across Europe gave good accounts of themselves. The star of the show this week was Manchester United’s 18-year old Ivorian international, Amad Diallo who is on loan at Atalanta.
Diallo moved to Manchester United from Atalanta in the summer and was immediately loaned back to the Italian side.
On Tuesday when he made his European debut, Diallo caught the eye by showing flashes of brilliance that have improved his rating amongst Manchester United faithful. He is expected to join the Red Devils in January.
Elsewhere, Nigeria’s Zaidu Sanusi gave another impressive performance against Manchester City as FC Porto held the Citizens to a goalless stalemate. Sanusi stole the show last week when he scored his first Champions League goal to round up a great performance.
Read: More Than 30 Africans Involved In UEFA Champions League Matchday 4
Chelsea and Senegal’s Edouard Mendy continued his strong start to life with the Blues as he kept another clean sheet in Seville where his team ran out 4-0 victors over Sevilla. It was his 9th clean sheet in 12 games.
In Red Bull Salzburg’s 3-1 win away at Lokomotiv Moscow, at least 6 African youngsters were in action, with 18-year-old half Nigerian, Karim Adeyemi getting on the scoresheet in the game.
Others who featured in the game were Malians Sekou Koita and Mohamed Kamara, Zambia’s Enoch Mwepu and Patson Daka and Cameroon’s Jerome Onguene.
Moroccan international, Achraf Hakimi featured as Inter Milan defeated Borussia Moenchengladbach 3-2.
Senegal’s Papy Cisse was in action for Greek champions Olympiakos as they lost 2-1 to Olympique Marseille at the Stade De Velodrome. Guinea’s Mady Camara, Morocco’s Youseff El-Arabi and Algeria’s Hilal El Soudani completed the African quartet at Olympiacos.
Cameroon international, Eric Choupo-Moting played from start to finish in Bayern Munich’s 1-1 draw against Atletico Madrid. The former PSG attacker didn’t score in the game that had 17-year old Anglo-Nigerian youngster, Jamal Musiala feature for Bayern Munich.
Cameroon’s Joel Matip, Senegalese, Sadio Mane and Egyptian star, Mohammed Salah were all present in Liverpool’s 1-0 win over Ajax. The Dutch champions had Cameroon’s Andre Onana and Burkinabé, Lassina Traore featuring in the game.
Morrocan international, Nousair Mazraoui was also in action for Ajax as they lost advantage in their battle to make it to the next round.
In Red Bull Leipzig’s interesting 4-3 win away against Turkish champions, Istanbul Basaksehir, Malian Amadou Haidara featured for the Germans while Senegalese journeyman, Demba Ba was also dressed for the Turks. Cape Verde international Carlos Ponck also featured in the game.
Mali’s Hamari Traore was in action in for his French team in FC Krasnodar’s 1-0 win over Stade Rennes. Nigeria’s Odion Ighalo and Senegal’s Idrissa Gueye played parts in PSG’s 3-1 win at Old Trafford. Both players came on as second half substitutes for Manchester United and PSG respectively.
Lazio’s Ivory Coast international, Jean-Daniel Akpa Akpro was in action in his team’s 1-1 away at the Signal Iduna Park, home ground of Borussia Dortmund.
Hungarian champions, Ferencvaros lost 3-0 to Barcelona at home with Ghanaian defender Abraham Frimpong featuring from start to finish in the encounter.
19-year-old Ivorian defender, Odilon Koussounou impressed as Club Brugge battered Zenit St. Petersburg 3-0. Nigeria’s Emmanuel Dennis Bonaventure and Stephen Okereke played parts in the game.
Recall that Bonaventure was left out of Brugge’s last game over a team bus row.