Andy Delort in fine form as Kamaldeen Sulemana inspires Rennes
England-based Africans were not in action over the weekend after all Premier League fixtures were postponed as a mark of respect following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
However, the likes of Andy Delort, Ibrahima Kone, and Kamaldeen Sulemana, among others, gave a good account of themselves in the other top European leagues.
FARPost rounds up how Africans based in Europe performed over the weekend.
Andy Delort [Nice]
Algerian forward Andy Delort scored the all-important goal for Nice, who look to have turned a corner as they picked their third win in four matches after beating Ajaccio 1-0 in Corsica on Sunday.
Delort did well to lift Nice with his third goal of the season in the absence of Pablo Rosario, Aaron Ramsey and Mario Lemina, who is injured.
DUO SHINE FOR NANTES
Dango Quattara, Ibrahima Kone [Lorient] and Moses Simon [Nantes]
Burkina Faso forward Dango Quattara and Malian International Ibrahima Kone were on target as Lorient beat Nantes 3-1 at the Stade du Moustoir.
Ignatius Ganago scored their first goal before Quattara doubled the scores and assisted Koné for the third goal.
Nigerian speed star Simon pulled one back for Nantes, but it was nothing more than a consolation goal.
Sofiane Boufal [Angers]
Moroccan forward Sofiane Boufal scored Angers’ winning goal when they edged Montpellier 2-1.
Adrien Hunou levelled matters for Angers following Arnaud Nordin’s early opening goal before Boufal sealed the win with a goal from a penalty, his first goal for the club since joining in June.
Zakaria Aboukhlal [Toulouse]
Another Moroccan International, Zakaria Aboukhlal, was the hero for Toulouse when he scored the only goal they needed to beat Reims.
Aboukhlal got the goal in the first half, but Reims did well to keep Toulouse at bay after they were reduced to ten-man when Alexis Flips was sent off.
Kamaldeen Sulemana [Rennes]
Ghanaian winger Kamaldeen Sulemana was on fire and on target as Rennes put up a five-star performance to thrash hapless Auxerre 5-0.
The other goals were scored by Amine Gouiri, Martin Terrier, FlavienTait and Matthis Abline.
Before being pulled out in the second half, Sulemana was Rennes’ live wire, but a slight knock on the right leg forced him out.
Mouctar Diakhaby [Valencia]
Guinea forward Mouctar Diakhaby scored with a brilliant header as Valencia fell 2-1 at the hands of Rayo Vallecano.
Diakhaby netted in the 90th minute as Valencia played second fiddle for the better part of the game, with goals from Isi Palazon and Nico Gonzalez sealing the win for Rayo Vallecano.
Serhou Guirassy [Stuggart]
Guinea star Serhou Guirassy scored a last-gasp goal for Stuggart to force a 2-2 draw with Bayern Munich on Saturday.
Mathys Tel opened Bayern Munich’s scoresheet after 36 minutes, with Chris Fuehrich restoring parity in the 57th minute with a thunderbolt that left Manuel Neuer rooted at one spot.
Bayern restored their lead moments later through Jamal Musiala, but a late foul from Matthijs de Ligt gave Stuggart a penalty, and the Guinean Guirassy easily slammed the ball home to ensure a share of the spoils.
Karl Toko Ekambi [Lyon]
Gangly Cameroonian forward Karl Toko Ekambi was on target for French side Lyon albeit on a losing cause at the hands of Monaco.
Benoit Badiashile opened the scoresheet for Monaco after ten minutes, and Guillermo Maripan made it two moments later.
Toko Ekambi pulled one back for Lyon nine minutes from time, but it was not enough for them to avoid defeat.
Amadou Haidara [RB Leipzig]
Malian international Amadou Haidara joined the scoring party as RB Leipzig secured the scalp of Dortmund after slamming them 3-0.
Willi Orban gave Leipzig the lead after six minutes before Hungarian midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai doubled the scores.
Former Chelsea striker Timo Werner then set up Amadou Haidara in the penultimate stages of the match to give RB Leipzig a memorable victory.