To begin with England, Nigeria’s Victor Moses received a booking in the 78th minute as goals from Morata and Fabregas ensured that Chelsea trounced Idrissa Gana Gueye’s Everton 2-0.
It was a meeting of two Cameroonians when West Bromwich Albion faced Stoke City as Allan Nyom and Choupo-Moting were fielded in the starting lineup who finished the game with a 1-1 scoreline.
At Anfield, Arsenal left its fans desolate after Sadio Mane, Mohammed Salah, Firminho, and Sturridge each shook turns to contribute to Liverpool’s 4-0 win and hand Arsene Wenger’s side a routing to forget.
DR Congo’s Benik Afobe came off the bench while Yaya Toure got reduced to a mere spectator in the dug-out as City beat AFC Bournemouth 2-1.
Elsewhere, Ghana’s Jordan Ayew scored his first of the season, sending home the final goal as Swansea City beat Crystal Palace 2-0.
Benin’s Steve Mounie, Elias Kachunga from DR Congo including Gabon’s Mario Lemina all appeared for their respective clubs in the goalless tie between Southampton and Huddersfield Town.
Black Stars’ forward Christian Atsu Twasam assisted Joselu for the opener in Newcastle United’s 3-0 win over Andre Ayew’s West Ham United. Senegalese duo Diafran Sakho and Mohamed Diame joined the fray from the bench.
Nigeria’s Isaac Success was overlooked as Watford who was reduced to ten men, drew 0-0 with Brighton and.
Ivory Coast’s Eric Bailly was part of the in-form Manchester United side that blitzed past Leicester City 2-0.
The trio of Lamin Kone (Ivory Coast), Ibrahim Didier Ndong (Gabon) and Wahbi Kazhri (Tunisia) all raked up minutes in Sunderland’s defeat to Barnsley, in the English second tier earlier on Saturday.
At the St Andrew’s Stadium, Gambia’s Modou Barrow was a regular this time in Reading’s 2-0 triumph over Birmingham City while France-born and 25-year-old Malan Nouha Dickowa was also a huge presence in Wolverhampton’s 0-0 stalemate with Brentford.
Ivory Coast’s Souleymane Bamba was an unlikely scorer, clutching the winning goal as Cardiff sailed over Queen Park Rangers in a meeting of erstwhile premier league clubs.
DR Congo’s Neeskens Kebano plundered in the opener prior to teammate Rui Fonte doubling the advantage in the 51st minute to ensure Fulham’s 2-0 victory over Ipswich Town.
Germany
Guinea’s Naby Deco Keita was the showman as Leipzig tore Freiburg to tatters with a 4-1 win.
Senegal’s Ludovic Lamin Sane had a nightmarish spell in defense as Lewandowski’s brace helped Bayern Munich claim a 2-0 win over Werder Bremen.
Marcel Tisserand of DR Congo was a member of the Wolfsburg side that whacked Kevin Prince Boateng’s Eintracht Frankfurt 1-0.
Ghana’s Daniel Tawaiah Opare and Guinea’s Ibrahima Traore watched on from the bench in Augsburg-Borussia M’gladbach’s 2-2 draw at the WWK Arena.
Chadrac Akolo of DR Congo got subbed out 23 minutes from game’s end as Stuttgart labored past Mainz 1-0 at the Mercedez-Benz-Arena while Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had his goal tally soaring to two in the ongoing new campaign, scoring as Dortmund beat Salomon Kalou’s Hertha BSC
France
Chelsea rejects Gael Kakuta of DR Congo started what would later become a rout for Amiens SC, banging in an improbable opening goal before Senegal’s Moussa Konate struck a brace –one in each half – as they defeated Nice 3-0.
At the Stade Roudourou, Moustapha Elhadji Diallo smacked in Guingamp’s first goal in the 2-0 win over Strasbourg 2-0 on Sunday.
Mali’s Lassana Coulibally beamed all night after breaking his near two-year goal drought, scoring the game’s opener for Anger SCO but Lille would stage a robust comeback to force a sharing of points.
Guinean-born Francois Kamano was buoyed by a season breakthrough, starting the weekend with a goal after just ten minutes ticked before Senegal’s Younousse Sankhare added to the score sheet in Bordeaux’s 2-1 slender win over Troyes.
Tunisia’s Ait Bennasser got booked ten minutes after teammate Rodlin’s lone goal of the game won Caen the points against Metz. Gambian teen sensation Abdoulie Jallow had to be hauled off in the 59th minute for fresh legs in Fernandez.
Yann Gio of Ivory Coast had his equalizing goal for Montpellier reduced to a mere consolation with Jeannot’s brace winning the spoils for Dijon.
Senegal’s Ismaila Sarr and DR Congo’s Firmine Ndombe each registered a goal but proved insufficient in saving Rennes from a 3-2 defeat to Toulouse.
Italy
21-year-old Godfred Donsah of Ghana was the hero at the Stade Ciro Vigorito, slamming home the match-winner for visitors Bologna against Benevento.
Morocco’s Adel Taarabt and Genoa bit the dust to a rampaging Juventus who won 4-2.
Belgium
DR Congo’s Herve Kage had a goal disallowed for Kortrik in the one-all deadlock with Royal Excel Mouscron.
It’s two goals in two games for Senegal’s Amara Baby after he scored in the 89th minute as Sporting Charleroi launched a breathtaking comeback against Pete Olayinka’s Zulte-Wargem which saw Nigeria’s Olanyika score his losing club’s first goal in the 3-2 defeat.
Elsewhere, Angola’s Igor Vetokele rescued the points for Sint-Truiden against Waasland-Beveren with a fine 1-0 winner.
Ibrahima Sory Conte, of the Syli Nationale, was a late entrant and got to score KV Oostende’s third goal but it couldn’t have been more than a consolation as his side slumped to a 4-3 defeat to Antwerp in a seven-goal game frenzy.
Spain
Ghana’s Mubarak Wakaso had a difficult night as Barcelona made a light work of his Deportivo Alaves club with Messi bagging a brace.
In Netherlands, it was a difficult moment for African players to register their names on the score sheet in round 3 of the league matches; Cameroon’s Andre Onana kept his first clean sheet for Ajax in the team’s 2-0 win over VVV on Sunday.
Turkey
19-year-old Malian defender Mamadou Fofana met his nightmare after scoring an own-goal in Alanyaspor’s 1-1 draw against Karabükspor but was rescued following his teammate’s equalizer in the extra time of the 90th minute to collect the team’s first point after three games.
Also in Turkey, Senegal’s Papa N’Diaye featured for the full 90 minutes in Galatasaray’s 3-0 win over Nigerian Elderson Echiejile’s Sivasspor. Congolese attacker Dzon Delarge was on target over the weekend when his club Bursaspor lost to Beşiktaş. It was the 27-year-old’s second goal in two consecutive league matches.
Algerian attacker Nabil Ghilas got the second goal for Göztepe in its 3-2 victory over Trabzonspor. At the Kadir Has Şehir Stadı, Cape V’s Ryan Mendes came off the bench at the right time for Kayserispor after scoring a late equalizer in the 87 to secure a point in a 2-2 draw against Senegal’s Souleymane Doukara who got the first goal for Osmanlıspor.
On Sunday, Togo’s Emmanuel Adebayor and Ghanaian defender Joseph Attamah were key figures in İstanbul Başakşehir’s 2-1 win over Konyaspor. Adebayor provided an assist for the first goal.
It was not a good day for South Africa’s Tokelo Rantie as the 26-year-old was red carded in the 42nd minute despite his side Genclerbirligi winning 2-1 against Fenerbahce.
Finland
Momoudou Ceesay was the hero for PS Kemi after scoring the only goal in the team’s 1-0 victory against Lahti at the Lahden Stadion.
Cameroon’s Ariel Ngueukam enjoyed coming off the bench, replacing compatriot Marius Noubissi to get the winning goal for IIves’s 2-1 win on Saturday.
Sweden
Ghans’s 23-year-old forward Nasiru Mohammed got the opener for Hacken in their 3-1 win against Jonkopings Sodra – his third goal in four consecutive appearances in all competitions.
It was a similar situation at the Guldfågeln Arena when Senegal’s Pape Diouf opened the scoring chart for Kalmar in the 7th minute, eventually defeating Sirius 4-2 during the weekend.
Africa’s duo Chinedu Obasi Ogbuke of Nigeria and Aliou Badji of Senegal were the two scorers for AIK and Djurgarden respectively on Sunday after 19-year-old Bagji came off the bench to get the equalizer in the 84th minute.
Denmark
Ghana’s duo Ernest Asante and Godsway Donyoh registered their names on the scoresheet during Nordsjaelland’s 3-0 triumph over Kobenhavn. Asante’s goal was a continuation of his scoring streak that recorded his seventh league goal for his club this season.
CO-AUTHOR: ANTHONY KOKOI
Featured Photo: Getty Images
