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African players in Europe: Diomande off the mark, Mbeumo ends drought

Yan Diomande scored his first Real Madrid goal in a 1-0 La Liga win over Villarreal, while Bryan Mbeumo found the net in United’s draw with Tottenham.

ENGLAND

BRYAN MBEUMO (Manchester Utd)

Mbeumo put United ahead at old Trafford with a clinical finish from an acute angle inside the Tottenham penalty area in the 73rd minute. But the 27-year-old’s third goal this season did not prove the winner as Dominic Solanke equalised in stoppage-time to leave United with only one league win this term from six matches.

NICOLAS JACKSON (Aston Villa)

The Senegal striker scored for the third time in his last five games, but it was not enough to inspire a win over Brentford at Villa Park. Jackson equalised for Villa in the 12th minute with a close-range finish after Emiliano Buendia’s effort deflected into his path. Unsettled by a host of close-season sales, Unai Emery’s men sit 15th with just one victory in six top-flight matches.

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SPAIN

YAN DIOMANDE (Real Madrid)

Real Madrid’s record signing, 140-million-euro ($157mn) Ivory Coast winger Diomande, grabbed his first goal for the club to earn a 1-0 win over Villarreal. The winger started on the left flank instead of Vinicius Junior and drilled home from just inside the area with a crisp finish to start making good on his transfer fee after a slow start to life in the Spanish capital.

GERMANY

ISMAEL SAIBARI (Bayern Munich)

Morocco playmaker Saibari helped spare Bayern’s blushes as the champions laboured to a surprise 2-2 draw at Augsburg. Saibari equalised for Bayern early in the second half after a howler from Manuel Neuer had allowed Augsburg to go ahead after just eight seconds. It was the 25-year-old’s second goal in two games. He scored his first for Bayern in the 7-0 rout of Union Berlin just before the international break.

TEREM MOFFI (Hamburg)

Nigeria striker Moffi scored his first Bundesliga goal as Hamburg came from behind to win 3-2 at Hoffenheim. The 27-year-old, who joined Hamburg from Nice in August, made an immediate impact after coming on as a substitute in the 76th minute. He headed in Hamburg’s equaliser just seven minutes later. Miro Muheim grabbed the stoppage-time winner.

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FRANCE

MAMA BALDE (Brest)

Balde scored for Guinea-Bissau in a stunning 3-0 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying victory over Nigeria this month. The 30-year-old winger was among the goals again at the weekend, this time in Ligue 1, claiming the fourth as Brest routed Angers 5-1 in a mid-table clash. He completed a brilliant solo effort with a superb strike from inside the box.

– AFP

Photo: Alvaro Medranda/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images

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