African players in Europe: Ouattara dents Villa title hopes

Burkina Faso's winger Dango Ouattara netted the decisive strike as 10-man Brentford undermined Aston Villa's Premier League title aspirations with a surprising 1-0 triumph over the weekend.

Ouattara found the net during first-half stoppage time, and this home defeat positioned Villa seven points behind frontrunners Arsenal and one point adrift of second-placed Manchester City.

Other African goalscorers, comprising Ghana's Antoine Semenyo, Guinea-Bissau's Beto, and Senegal's Ismaila Sarr, took part in matches that finished level.

AFP Sport spotlights prominent African contributors across Europe's leading leagues:

ENGLAND

DANGO OUATTARA (Brentford)

Ouattara rifled the ball into the upper corner from a narrow angle at Villa Park once his initial delivery had been halted. Even after Kevin Schade picked up a red card for striking Matty Cash before the score, the Bees clung on for a notable success, powered by their winger's fourth goal of the term.

ISMAILA SARR (Crystal Palace)

The Senegalese winger notched his initial goal since November to salvage a 1-1 stalemate at Nottingham Forest. Palace were trailing following Morgan Gibbs-White's prompt opener, until Forest's Neco Williams earned a dismissal in first-half added time for using his hand to stop Jefferson Lerma's headed attempt on target. Sarr dispatched the ensuing penalty, securing Palace merely their third point across nine recent fixtures.

ANTOINE SEMENYO (Manchester City)

The Ghanaian striker hit the mark for City, though the contenders frittered away a two-goal cushion in a harmful 2-2 tie at Tottenham. Semenyo's effort extended Pep Guardiola's team to a 2-0 lead in the 44th minute, as he caressed the ball home from 12 yards following Bernardo Silva's nudge into his route. This represented Semenyo's fourth goal over five outings in various tournaments since his £65 million move from Bournemouth.

SPAIN

ILYAS CHAIRA (Real Oviedo)

Morocco's winger Chaira assisted Real Oviedo in snapping a four-month drought without a win, his strike clinching a 1-0 success against Girona and providing his side with a slim chance of evading La Liga relegation. The 24-year-old converted from near proximity for his second goal across four outings.

GERMANY

SERHOU GUIRASSY (Borussia Dortmund)

Guirassy reignited his scoring prowess, netting twice to sustain Dortmund's tenuous title prospects in a 3-2 home defeat of Heidenheim. The Guinean had managed only one goal in 10 Bundesliga appearances since October. Though not a frequent spot-kick handler, Guirassy slotted a penalty just inside the right upright during the second period to draw level. He swiftly added a further strike 84 seconds on, advancing rapidly and curving the ball into the near post to hand Dortmund the advantage. Guirassy's prospect of a treble was ended by another missed penalty.

SILAS (Mainz)

Silas delivered the match-winner as Mainz sustained their remarkable resurgence with a 2-1 conquest at RB Leipzig. With the contest even at 1-1 shortly after the interval, the forward originating from the Democratic Republic of Congo gathered the ball close to the halfway line, surged ahead, evaded two markers, and directed a finish beyond Peter Gulacsi.

FRANCE

ACHRAF HAKIMI (Paris Saint-Germain)

The African player of the year featured in his team's midweek Champions League deadlock with Newcastle United, prior to resuming Ligue 1 duties after a three-month absence due to injury and his role in Morocco's path to the Africa Cup of Nations decider. He commemorated his return with a second-half ejection, yet PSG netted tardily while reduced to 10 to prevail 2-1 at Strasbourg and regain Ligue 1 leadership from Lens.

PIERRE-EMERICK AUBAMEYANG (Marseille)

Gabon's seasoned forward, after a subpar Africa Cup of Nations, tallied for Marseille, but they surrendered a two-goal margin to conclude in a 2-2 deadlock at Paris FC. This marked his ninth goal this campaign, although the lacklustre outcome distanced Marseille more from Ligue 1's summit, merely three days following their Champions League ousting.