In England, Alex Iwobi and Arsenal won the Community Shield on post-match kicks against 10-man Chelsea. Countryman Victor Moses fired the Blues ahead before Sead Kolasinac leveled eight minutes into regular time.
Earlier on Saturday, Senegal’s Famara Diedhiou scored one of Bristol’s three goals as the City side hammered Barnsley 3-1 in the first game of the English Championship.
Also on the same day, Reading’s new signing Gambia’s Modou Barrow got thrown in the mix, off the substitutes’ bench, in the defeat to Queens Park Rangers. The 24-year-old ex-Swansea City winger later got booked in the dying minutes.
Belgium
Major leagues across Europe resumed action on Saturday including the Jupiler Pro League in Belgium. The campaign teed off on an incredible note with seven goals scored in the opening game between Sporting Charleroi and Royal Excel Mouscron with the former winning.
It also marked the meeting of two DR Congo players as Dodi Lukebakio –for Sporting –was up against Jonathan Bolingi with both scoring each a goal for their clubs.
Chinese Super League
It’s three goals in three games for AFCON-winning Cameroon captain Benjamin Moukandjio, as Jiangsu Suining tied Nenan Jianye 2-2. Moukandjio netted but so did his compatriot and fellow Indomitable Lions’ star Christian Bassogong, for opposing club Jianye.
Ghana’s Frank Opoku Acheampong and Senegal’s Mbaye Diagne–both being teammates – were on the losing end as second-from-bottom Tianjin Teda endured a 3-0 mauling to table-topping and serial league winners Guangzhou Evergrande.
A similar story occurred with Gambia’s striker Bubucarr Trawally whose bottom-placed Yanbian Funde got torn to tatters in a 3-0 loss to Hebei CFFC.
It was, however, a different case for Teranga Lions’ veteran Papis Demba Cisse whose equalizing goal sealed a 2-2 draw for Shandong Luneng against Beijing Guoan. The former Newcastle United goal-getter is on eight goals in eleven starts having missed the last nine games through injury.
On Sunday, DR Congo’s Assani Lukimya-Mulongoto fired in his sixth of the season for Liaoning but lost 4-1 to Guangzhou Rand F.
France
African trio Abdul Khaled Akiola Adenon (Benin), Issa Cissokho (Senegal) and Manzala (DR Congo) starred but Amiens SC in a losing 2-0 to PSG 2-0 in the French Ligue1.
In another league match episode, Senegal’s Moustapha Elhadji Diallo and Sulaymane Camara were scorers over the weekend. Diallo climbed off the bench to stab home the final goal as Guingamp sailed over Metz 3-1 while Camara poked in the winner for Montpellier.
Elsewhere in Finland, uncapped Nigeria forward Philip Njoku netted his first of the season in Inter Turku’s 3-0 savaging of capital side HIFK.
Over to Norway, Ivory Coast’s Daouda Karamoko notched his third goal of the ongoing campaign with a brilliant effort but Kristiansund couldn’t withstand a rampaging Rosenborg who would go on to win convincingly.
Karamoko’s fellow countryman in Sweden Aboubakar Keita, emerged triumphantly along with bottom-placed Halmstad BK who over the weekend, left their supporters berserk after they incredibly put six goals past well-to-do Jonkopings Sodra.
Still, in Sweden’s top tier, Tunisia’s Issam Jebbali scored twice for Elfsborg – one of the goals a spot -kick effort – in a 2-2 draw with Orebo.
A step below the top flight, Nigeria’s 25-year-old Oke AKpoveta struck twice in what was his seventh league game but Helsingborg let the lead slip, eventually suffering a 3-2 defeat to Norrby at the Boras Arena, Sweden.
In Germany, Gabon’s Pierre –Emerick Aubameyang kicked-off where he left, scoring in Borussia Dortmund’s German Super Cup battle with Bayern Munich.
In the Major League Soccer (MLS), Ghana’s 32-year-old Llyod Ekow Sam had DC United reduced to ten men in a one-all draw against Toronto.
Kaiansu-Kei Kamara of Sierra Leone and Ghana’s Emmanuel Boateng were the sole Africans to score in the MLS on Sunday.
It was a fierce battle between Colorado Rapids and Vancouver in Denver at the Dickon’s Sporting Goods Park. Either side settled for a final 3-3 stalemate with Cameroon’s Tony Tchani scoring twice for The Caps as Uganda’s Micheal Azira starred for The Rapids.
Featured Photo: Getty Images
