African players in Europe: Salah hailed after Liverpool FA Cup win

Arne Slot, the Liverpool manager, commended Egypt's captain Mohamed Salah following his penalty kick that clinched a 3-0 triumph in the FA Cup against Brighton over the weekend.

"It is very nice to have Mo on the scoresheet again, but what I like the most is he also helps the team a lot defensively," stated the Dutch coach.

Another African goalscorer in the fourth round was Senegal forward Habib Diarra, who converted from the spot to hand Sunderland a 1-0 success away to Oxford United.

AFP Sport spotlights key African contributors in the FA Cup and leading European leagues:

ENGLAND

MOHAMED SALAH (Liverpool)

The two-time African footballer of the year earned the penalty after Pascal Gross pulled him back, then drove the ball past Jason Steele to round off the scoreline. Salah also delivered an assist, marking his fourth since his comeback from the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco last month.

HABIB DIARRA (Sunderland)

The winner of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations with Senegal slotted home a first-half penalty to secure the win for Sunderland at second-division Oxford. The penalty came after Congo Brazzaville's defender Christ Makosso fouled Dennis Cirkin.

SPAIN

ILYAS CHAIRA (Real Oviedo)

Moroccan wide player Chaira kept up his strong scoring streak despite Oviedo's 2-1 loss to Athletic Bilbao in La Liga. The 25-year-old gave the home side the lead in the 30th minute with his third strike in five league outings, breaking clear of the backline and composing himself to slot it away neatly.

UMAR SADIQ (Valencia)

Nigeria's forward Sadiq entered as a substitute to notch his debut La Liga goal this term and confirm a 2-0 derby win for Valencia over Levante. In the sixth minute of regular time, he stole the ball from a rival, charged ahead, and calmly placed it into the goal.

GERMANY

SERHOU GUIRASSY (Borussia Dortmund)

Guirassy sustained his resurgence during Dortmund's 4-0 rout of Mainz, maintaining their position six points adrift of Bundesliga frontrunners Bayern Munich. Ten minutes into the match, the Guinea star was ideally placed to nod in a cross from Julian Ryerson. Moments before the interval, Ryerson found Guirassy once more, and the powerful forward headed Dortmund's third. Following a spell with only one goal in 10 league matches, Guirassy now boasts five in three.

EDMOND TAPSOBA (Bayer Leverkusen)

Leverkusen's backline player Tapsoba upheld his excellent goalscoring record this season by heading home in a 4-0 victory against St Pauli at home. With the score at 2-0 early in the second half, the Burkina Faso international leaped to connect with a cross from Aleix Garcia.

RANSFORD KOENIGSDOERFFER (Hamburg)

Hamburg's forward Koenigsdoerffer opened and closed the scoring in his team's 3-2 turnaround against Union Berlin at home. The Ghana international, born in Germany, levelled matters from near range after 35 minutes. As Hamburg held a 2-1 advantage with Union seeking to draw level, Koenigsdoerffer tamed a long pass on the break and squeezed the ball in from an acute angle to lock in the win, achieving his inaugural Bundesliga double.