African stars shining in Europe: Semenyo helps City chase Arsenal
Ghana forward Antoine Semenyo proved decisive as Manchester City secured a 1-0 victory against Leeds United over the weekend, keeping them close behind Premier League frontrunners Arsenal in the title contention.
Arsenal hold a five-point advantage with nine games remaining, yet City possess an extra fixture to play while aiming for their seventh championship in the last nine years. The Gunners finished second in each of the previous three seasons.
Semenyo has netted 14 Premier League goals this term for City and his former side Bournemouth. Just his colleague Erling Haaland and Igor Thiago of Brentford surpass that tally.
AFP Sport spotlights key African performers across Europe's top leagues:
ENGLAND
ANTOINE SEMENYO (Manchester City)
Semenyo maintained his strong form at City by scoring his sixth goal in 11 outings, securing the win for Pep Guardiola's squad at Leeds. In added time of the opening period, he latched onto a low delivery from Algerian Rayan Ait-Nouri to ensure City remained in Arsenal's pursuit.
ALEX IWOBI (Fulham)
Iwobi's fine finish clinched a 2-1 success for Fulham against faltering Tottenham, aiding their bid for European spots. The Nigerian added to Tottenham's misery with a controlled volley from distance, lifting Fulham to ninth position.
BETO (Everton)
Guinea-Bissau's Beto capitalised on a mistake by Newcastle keeper Nick Pope to notch Everton's second in a solid 3-2 triumph on the road. The forward slotted away the loose ball following Pope's fumble on Dwight McNeil's attempt.
SPAIN
PAPE GUEYE (Villarreal)
Senegalese playmaker Gueye found the net for the second straight La Liga game versus title holders Barcelona, despite his side suffering a heavy 4-1 loss. Gueye offered Villarreal a momentary lifeline after Barcelona's two-goal cushion, tapping in from near post for his fourth top-division strike this season.
INAKI WILLIAMS (Athletic Bilbao)
Williams delivered a superb strike to secure a 1-1 stalemate for his side at Rayo Vallecano. The 31-year-old Ghanaian has endured a subpar year but rifled in a volley from the box's edge for his second league effort.
GERMANY
FARES CHAIBI (Eintracht Frankfurt)
Chaibi struck merely 42 seconds into his substitute role to open the scoring and propel Eintracht to a 2-0 Bundesliga success hosting Freiburg. The Algerian entered during the latter half and swiftly influenced proceedings, receiving a pass from Nnamdi Collins before curling a precise effort into the far corner.
YAN DIOMANDE (RB Leipzig)
Leipzig's young prospect Diomande netted the decisive goal in a 2-1 win at Hamburg. As his team sought victory to sustain Champions League aspirations, the 19-year-old took a lay-off from Brajan Gruda and sliced through the box to finish.
FRANCE
PIERRE-EMERICK AUBAMEYANG (Marseille)
Experienced Gabon forward Aubameyang bagged a late brace to flip a potential defeat against Lyon into a 3-2 Ligue 1 triumph for Marseille. Lyon sit third and Marseille fourth, trailing leaders Paris Saint-Germain by 12 and 14 points apiece.
MARSHALL MUNETSI (Paris FC)
Zimbabwe skipper Munetsi opened the scoring on 26 minutes to hand Paris FC a 1-0 win versus Nice in a vital survival battle. Munetsi is currently loaned from Premier League strugglers Wolverhampton Wanderers.