African players in Europe: Sub Salah fails to sink Spurs

Egypt's skipper Mohamed Salah entered the pitch from the bench over the weekend, yet he was unable to stop Liverpool from losing two valuable points to Tottenham Hotspur as they chase a top-four spot in the Premier League.

A goal in the dying moments secured a 1-1 draw for the struggling Spurs at Anfield, which dropped the Reds to fifth place, trailing Aston Villa by two points with eight games remaining.

Salah joined a number of key players who began on the substitutes' bench, ahead of a Champions League encounter with Galatasaray on Wednesday, where Liverpool hold a 1-0 aggregate deficit against the Turkish outfit.

AFP Sport spotlights the standout African performers across Europe's top leagues:

ENGLAND

MOHAMED SALAH (Liverpool)

In yet another challenging outing during a demanding campaign for the former goal machine, Salah came on in the 64th minute. He had an opportunity to extend Liverpool's advantage when Spurs' defender Radu Dragusin mishandled a lofted pass from Cody Gakpo, but he sliced his effort wide in a game where Richarlison's stoppage-time leveller salvaged a point for the away side.

YANKUBA MINTEH (Brighton)

The Gambian forward, aged 21, netted the decisive strike as Brighton secured a 1-0 victory over Sunderland, rifling the ball from a narrow angle into the near post during the 58th minute at the Stadium of Light.

SPAIN

AZZEDINE OUNAHI (Girona)

Morocco's gifted midfielder Ounahi claimed his inaugural goal of 2026, aiding Girona in thrashing Athletic Bilbao 3-0 during a La Liga fixture where he excelled. Ounahi assisted the opening goal for Hugo Rincon before converting the second himself on his first appearance in the starting lineup since December 12, following an injury layoff and commitments at the Africa Cup of Nations.

NICOLAS PEPE (Villarreal)

The Ivorian attacker Pepe rescued a share of the spoils for Villarreal against Alaves with a late equaliser in added time, resulting in a 1-1 stalemate. Pepe collected possession on the right edge of the box, created room for himself, and curled a stunning left-footed shot into the upper corner.

ITALY

JEREMIE BOGA (Juventus)

Cote d'Ivoire's Boga notched his third Serie A goal in successive games, securing a 1-0 triumph for fifth-placed Juventus over mid-table Udinese. A tactical adjustment in the opening half positioned Boga more centrally, which bore fruit in the 38th minute as he slotted home a pass from Kenan Yildiz beyond Nigerian shot-stopper Maduka Okoye.

GERMANY

NICOLAS JACKSON (Bayern Munich)

With Harry Kane again among the reserves, Jackson endured a rough afternoon in Bayern's 1-1 stalemate away to Bayer Leverkusen. Moments before the interval, as Leverkusen held the lead, Jackson dangerously planted his studs into Martin Terrier's ankle with a reckless challenge close to the centre circle. His initial booking was escalated to a dismissal following a VAR intervention.

FRANCE

AMINE GOUIRI (Marseille)

Algeria's forward Gouiri substituted into the action and struck in the 79th minute, delivering a 1-0 win for third-placed Marseille against relegation-threatened Auxerre in Ligue 1. This strike came after a bold move by Marseille's manager and ex-Senegal defender Habib Beye, who brought on Gouiri in place of defender CJ Egan-Riley.