African stars shone brightly over the weekend, showcasing their goalscoring prowess as Europe’s top leagues wrapped up their seasons.
ENGLAND
Antoine Semenyo scored twice as Bournemouth beat Leicester City to seal a top-ten Premier League finish in a record-breaking season.
Despite dominating, the Cherries couldn’t crack Ruud van Nistelrooy’s defence until the 74th minute, when the Ghanaian slotted home from close range after a clever assist by Ukrainian defender Illia Zabarnyi.
With two minutes left, Semenyo sealed his brace with a strike from outside the box, assisted by Dean Huijsen.
The win saw Bournemouth end the 2024-25 season with 56 points — their highest-ever total in the English top flight.
Elsewhere at Portman Road, Mohamed Kudus scored as West Ham beat Ipswich 3-1 to finish the 2024-25 season on a high.
Ward-Prowse gave West Ham the lead just before half-time, capitalising on a defensive error, but Nathan Broadhead levelled with a powerful strike seven minutes after the break.
Three minutes later, Jarrod Bowen shook off his England snub with a brilliant goal, capping a strong season where he scored 14 goals and made 10 assists in all competitions.
In the 87th minute, super-sub Kudus sealed the win with a brilliant solo goal, making it 3-1 and putting the game out of reach.
Premier League Player of the Season Mohamed Salah rescued Liverpool with a late goal in a 1-1 draw against Crystal Palace.
Senegal international Ismaila Sarr gave the Eagles an early lead in the ninth minute at Anfield, capitalizing on a defensive error by collecting Tyrick Mitchell's pass and slotting past goalkeeper Alisson Becker.
Nevertheless, it was the Egyptian who ensured the match ended all square, scoring an 84th-minute equaliser to rescue a point for the Reds.
With that, Salah matched an all-time record with 47 goal involvements (29 goals, 18 assists), equalling the feat of English legends Andy Cole and Alan Shearer.
Amad Diallo capped off the 2024-25 season with a goal as Manchester United sealed a 2-0 win over Aston Villa at Old Trafford.
The Ivorian star nodded the Red Devils ahead in the 76th minute, just moments after Aston Villa had a goal controversially ruled out by a questionable refereeing decision.
Christian Eriksen sealed the win with an 87th-minute penalty, but Ruben Amorim’s side still finished the season outside the top ten.
African stars Marshall Munetsi and Bryan Mbeumo stole the spotlight as Wolves and Brentford played out a 1-1 draw on the final day of the league season.
The Bees went ahead in the 20th minute through Cameroonian forward Mbeumo, but Zimbabwe’s Munetsi levelled the score with a 75th-minute equaliser.
ITALY
Lazio suffered a shock 1-0 home defeat to 10-man Lecce, as Lassana Coulibaly’s strike secured victory for the Salentini and ended the Biancocelesti’s hopes of European football next season.
There was plenty on the line, with the hosts eyeing a potential European spot - from the Champions League to the Conference League - while Lecce were desperate to escape relegation danger.
The tension was palpable at the Stadio Olimpico as both sides battled under pressure. Eventually, the breakthrough came in the 43rd minute when Mario Gila’s sloppy pass was intercepted by Nikola Krstovic, who teed up the Mali midfielder to slot home the decisive goal.
SPAIN
Villarreal capped off a memorable LaLiga campaign with a 4-2 victory over Sevilla, wrapping up the season in style at the Estadio de la Ceramica.
Pape Gueye scored twice, while Yeremy Pino and Alex Baena added stunning goals to seal the win.
In the process, Marcelino’s side finished with 70 points and 71 goals to set a new club record for most goals scored in a top-flight season.
Yan Diomande scored for Leganes in their 3-0 win over Real Valladolid, but the victory wasn’t enough to prevent their relegation to the Spanish second division.
Needing a win to keep their survival hopes alive, the Cucumber Growers came out firing against the bottom-placed side.
Javi Hernandez opened the scoring in the 25th minute with a fine side-footed finish into the top corner, before the Ivorian doubled the advantage before setting up Juan Cruz in the goal-laden first half.
Despite the emphatic win, Leganes' fate was sealed as other results went against them.
AuthorFlashscore