Africans: EPL debutants Awoniyi, Aribo, Koulibaly open goal scoring accounts

Taiwo Awoniyi, Kalidou Koulibaly and Joe Aribo put up top performances over the weekend to score their maiden goals for their respective clubs Nottingham Forest, Southampton and Chelsea.

The three players are in their debut season where two rounds of fixtures have been played so far. FARPost rounds up how African players based in Europe performed over the weekend.

Taiwo Awoniyi [Nottingham Forest]

Gangly Nigerian striker Taiwo Awoniyi was the toast of the night for Nottingham Forest on Sunday after he scored the solitary goal that secured a famous win over West Ham United.

Awoniyi’s goal all but gave Forest their first Premier League win on return after a massive 23-year absence.
On the stroke of halftime Awoniyi applied a first-time siblime strike to poke the ball home on the rebound after Jesse Lingard’s initial effort was deflected into his path.

Forest held on to the narrow advantage as goalkeeper Dean Henderson turned out to be their other hero after denying Declan Rice from a penalty before making several key saves in the second half.

Taiwo Awoniyi has scored with his first ever shot on target in the Premier League.

Marking his home Premier League debut for Nottingham Forest with a goal. ⚽ pic.twitter.com/l0pqLzo3wU

— Squawka (@Squawka) August 14, 2022

Kalidou Koulibaly [Chelsea]

Kalidou Koulibaly scored his maiden goal in the EPL for Chelsea in their thrilling 2- 2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.

The Senegalese skipper put Chelsea ahead after 19 minutes of play, after connecting the ball home from a delightful corner-kick that was delivered by Marc Cucurella.

Pierre-Emile Højbjerg equalized for Spurs in the 68th minute and Reece James put the Blues back in front on the 77th minute.

With the slender lead Chelsea looked set to pocket maximum points but Harry Kane deflated all hopes for a victory with a equalising goal in the sixth of seven minutes that were added on.

Joe Aribo [Southampton]

Nigerian forward Joe Aribo opened his goal account for Southampton in the English Premier League to salvage a point in their 2-2 draw against Leeds.

Rodrigo Moreno scored a brace for Leeds in 15 second-half minutes, as they looked poised to collect maximum points.

However, Aribo who was making his debut came of the bench to pull one back for the Saints before Kyle Walker-Peters equalized on the 81st-minute to ensure a share of the spoils.

Silas Katompa Mvumpa [Stuggart]

Silas Katompa Mvumpa of the Democratic Republic of Congo put up a sterling performance as Stuttgart picked a crucial point following a 2-2 draw with Werder Bremen at Wohninvest Weserstadion on Saturday.

Niclas Fullkrig thrust Werder Bremen ahead after 4 minutes and Wataru Endo equalizer after 38 minutes.
Mvumpa then scored with a precise shot from close range to give Stuttgart a 2-1 lead and for a moment, it looked destined to be Stuggart’s winning goal.

But Fullkrug again hit that target on a rebound exactly on the 90th minute to force a share of the spoils.

Assan Torrez Ceesay [Leece]

Gambian Assan Torrez Ceesay scored the consolation goal as Leece succumbed to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Inter Milan in the Seria A.
Former Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku opened the scoresheet after two minutes with a well headed effort from close range.
Ceesay however hit back three minutes after the break but the robust Inter Milan forward-line overwhelmed the Leece backline, with Denzel Dumfries sealing the victory with a last-gasp goal.

Adam Masina [Udinese]

Moroccan International Adam Musina scored for Udinese albeit on a losing note.
Udinese were trounced 4-2 by AC Milan but it was Rodrigo Becao who fired the former ahead after ten minutes.
Milan equalised through a penalty converted by Theo Hernandez before Ante Rebic doubled the scores. Musina then restored parity for Udinese on the stroke of half-time, with a powerful header from inside the box.

However, he made a blunder that resulted in Milan’s third goal when he failed to deal with a cross and knocked it back into his team’s box. The mistake allowed Brahim Diaz to tap the ball home with ease and then Rebic scored the forth goal to complete his brace on Saturday night.

#MilanUdinese 2-2

45+4 – MAAASINAAA! Tucu whips in a ball from the right which is finished off by Adam Masina, levelling the score at the break!

⚪️⚫️ #ForzaUdinese #AlèUdinpic.twitter.com/AIQEVq4cE2

— Udinese Calcio (@Udinese_1896) August 13, 2022

Ademola Lookman [Atalanta] and M’bala Nzola [Spezia]

Nigerian Ademola Lookman opened his goal account for Atalanta in their 2-0 defeat over Sampdoria.

Rafael Toloi scored first after 26 minutes before Lookman sealed the win with a sublime effort in the referee’s additional time.

On the otherhand Angolan midfielder M’bala Nzola scored the only goal that Spezia needed to beat Empoli and collect maximum points.

David Atanga [KV Oostende]

Ghanaian midfielder David Atanga continued with his fine form after scoring his 3rd goal of the season in the Belgium Jupiler Pro League.

His goal was however not enough to save face for his KV Oostende as they lost 3-1 to KAA Gent. The 25-year-old Ghanaian speedy winger opened the scoresheet after 13 minutes but his effort was cancelled out by goals scored by Hugo Cuypers, Hyun-Seok Hong and Andrew Hjulsager.

Abdoul Tapsoba [Standard Liege] and Fiaz Selemani [Kortrijk]

Burkinabe forward Abdoul Tapsoba and Comoros striker Fiaz Selemani scored for their respective teams Standard Liege and Kortrijk although the teams lost.

Tapsoba was on target as Standard Liege lost 4-2 at hands of Westerlo while Selemani scored in Kortrijk’s narrow 2-1 defeat to Royale Union Saint-Gilloise.

Moses Simon [Nantes]

Speedy Nigerian forward Moses Simon scored a brilliant goal from a corner kick before his side Nantes endured a tough second half, with goalie Alban-Marc Lafont putting in a good shift to keep Lille at bay.

And it was Brazilian defender Ismailly Gonçalves dos Santos that restored parity for Lille in the 76th minute to settle for a draw.

Nantes were lucky not to lose this one, thanks to Lillie’s lack of precision in front of goal.

Wabi Khazri and Enzo Tchato [Montepellier]

Veteran Tunisian attacker Wabi Khazri and Cameroonian Enzo Tchato were on target on Saturday when Montepellier succumbed to a 5-2 thrashing at the hands of PSG.

Brazilian Neymar notched a brace while Kylian Mbappe scored a goal on his return to the team, with Falaye Sacko’s own goal putting PSG in firm control of proceedings.

Khazri pulled one back for Montepellier but Renato Sanches who was introduced as second half substitute scored PSG’s fifth, before the West African, Tchato pulled one more back moments before fulltime.