African stars in European football: Substitute Salah unable to down Tottenham

Over the weekend, Liverpool's hopes of securing a top-four Premier League finish took a hit as they dropped two points against Tottenham Hotspur, with Mohamed Salah unable to turn the tide after coming off the bench.

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The Egyptian captain's introduction in the 64th minute was not enough to prevent a 1-1 draw at Anfield, which left Liverpool fifth, two points behind Aston Villa with eight matches remaining.

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Salah's appearance was limited due to an upcoming Champions League clash against Galatasaray, with Liverpool trailing 1-0 on aggregate, prompting several regulars to start as substitutes.

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African players made headlines in major European leagues, including Mohamed Salah, who had a chance to double Liverpool's lead but scuffed his shot wide after Tottenham defender Radu Dragusin struggled to deal with a high ball from Cody Gakpo.

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Yankuba Minteh, a 21-year-old Gambia forward, scored the only goal in Brighton's 1-0 win at Sunderland, striking from a tight angle at the near post in the 58th minute at the Stadium of Light.

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Azzedine Ounahi, Girona's talented Moroccan midfielder, netted his first goal of 2026, helping the Catalan side rout Athletic Bilbao 3-0 in a La Liga match where he shone.

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Ounahi's performance was notable, as he helped create the opener for Hugo Rincon and grabbed the second goal on his first start since December 12, following injury and a trip to the Africa Cup of Nations.

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Nicolas Pepe, Villarreal's Ivory Coast forward, snatched a point for his team with a sensational strike into the top corner, scoring deep in stoppage time to claim a 1-1 draw at Alaves.

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Jeremie Boga, an Ivory Coast international, scored his third goal in as many Serie A matches, giving fifth-placed Juventus a 1-0 win at mid-table Udinese with a tap-in on 38 minutes.

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A positional switch during the first half saw Boga occupy a more central role, which paid off when he tapped a Kenan Yildiz pass into the net past Nigerian goalkeeper Maduka Okoye.

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Nicolas Jackson, starting once again with Harry Kane on the bench, had a difficult time in Bayern Munich's 1-1 draw at Bayer Leverkusen, sinking his studs into Martin Terrier's ankle in an ugly tackle near the halfway line.

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Jackson's yellow card was upgraded to a red after a VAR review, just before half-time, with Leverkusen leading.

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Amine Gouiri, Algeria striker, came off the bench to score the 79th-minute goal that gave third-placed Marseille a 1-0 home victory over third-from-bottom Auxerre in Ligue 1.

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The goal followed a gamble by Marseille coach and former Senegal full-back Habib Beye, who replaced defender CJ Egan-Riley with Gouiri.