England
Joel Matip came off the bench in Swansea City’s hard-fought win over Liverpool. It was the 25-year-old’s first game ever since the defender was mired in an eligibility wrangle with Cameroon’s FA. Matip’s return to first-team action couldn’t prevent Liverpool from a 3-2 defeat to Swansea City.
Matip turned down the call to play for the Indomitable Lions at the 2017 AFCON Gabon games, citing retirement.
It was another goal for Benik Afobe, the yet-to-be-capped DR Congo forward. Afobe had the last laugh turning into a super-sub for Bournemouth to fire home the equalizing goal as they drew 2-2 with Watford.
Victor Moses provided an assist for Diego Costa’s goal as Chelsea’s trounced Hull City.
Jeffrey Schlupp made his first start for Crystal Palace against on-form Everton, clocking a total 97 minutes for the side since joining from Leicester.
Benin’s Rudy Gestede and Algeria’s Fehgouli were accorded football minutes but the latter emerged winner in West Ham’s 3-1 victory over Middleborough.
Allan Nyom went into the referee’s book but put on a massive show to help West Bromwich Albion beat Sunderland 2-0.
Yaya Toure once again proved he was not a fading maestro against a robust Kenya’s Victor Wanyama in a spicy clash of midfielders, as Manchester City drew 2-2 with Tottenham Hotspurs at the Etihad Stadium.
Nigeria pair Ahmed and Ndidi started but Leicester would bite the dust 3-0 to Southampton.
Alex Iwobi started but got hauled off as ten-man Arsenal snatched a crucial 2-1 win over Burnley.
France
Abdul Wajeeb Waris pulled a blank – going for the first time without scoring in 90 minutes – as Monaco feasted on bottom-placed Lorient.
It was a good day for Mali’s Cheik Tidiane Diabate scoring both goals as Metz strolled over Montpellier 2-0.
Moustapha Elhadji Diallo also netted but Rennes drew one-all.
Zambia’s Sunzu was rested but goalie Enyeama, Sankare and Algeria’s Benzia had minutes for Lille in the drab scoreless draw against Dijon.
Ivory Coats’s Abdoulaye Bamba inadvertently turned the ball into his own net in Angers SCO’s 2-1 win over Pogba’s St Etienne.
Germany
Jean-Eric Maxin Choupo-Moting was part of the Schalke outfit that thumped Marvin Matip’s Ingolstadt 1-0.
Gambia’s Ousman Manneh was back into Werder Bremen’s first-team sitting on the bench unused, unlike teammate and Senegal’s Lamine Sane, who got the nod from the starting lineup as Dortmund without Aubameyang, beat strugglers Werder Bremen.
Guinea’s Naby Keita and RB Leipzip closed in on leaders Bayern Munchen after beating Eintrancht Frankfurt 3-0.
Spain
There was no Kevin-Prince Boateng but Morocco’s El Zhar featured for five minutes as Deptivo La Coruna held Las Palmas 1-1.
Aly Malle made his debut from the starting roster, fielding as a winger but Granada would lose 3-1 to Espanyol.
Cameroon-born goalkeeper, Idriss Kameni, was in between the posts but stood no chance against leaders Real Madrid, who beat Malaga 2-1.
Holland
Yaw Yeboah and South Africa’s Mokotjo were regulars for FC Twente as they breezed past Heracles in the Dutch Eredivisie.
Pogba’s older brother Mathias Pogba was to the rescue converting Van Morsell’s assist with four minutes left to end of regular time, to equalize for Sparta Rotterdam.
Nigeria’s Troynne Ebuechi and Morocco’s Anouar Kali were on the losing end as 12-placed ADO Den Haag and WillemII got beat by PEC Zwolle and Feyenoord respectively.
Tighadouini and Vitesse drew Groningnen one-all.
Cameroon and former Barcelona goalkeeper Andre Onana denied Utrecht throughout time as second-placed Ajax got one better off the Galgenwaard outfit.
Elsewhere, Elvis Manu (Ghana), Achente (Morocco) and Alfredo Ribeiro all raked up minutes in Excelsior’s 1-1 stalemate with Go Ahead Eagles.
Italy
Khouma Babacar had his goal tally in the season soaring to four when he poked in the second goal in Fiorentina’s 3-0 smacking of Chievo.
Adama Diawara of Guinea starred for Napoli in the win over AC Milan.
Kwadwo Asamoah was part of the Juventus set up that extended its lead over Lazio.
Ghana’s Isaac Cofie joined the fray replacing an injured Rigoni with just 30 minutes ticking on the clock as Genoa tied Crotone.
Carlos Embalo, having endured a lengthy drought on goal, was left to warm the bench in Palermo’s slender 1-0 defeat to Inter Milan.
Belgium
Nigeria’s Simon Troost-Ekong and Kalu turned on the show guiding Gent to sail 1-0 over Sporting-Charleroi.
Zulte-Waregem’s in-demand goal-getter, M’Baye Leye, switched on to plunder in his seventh goal of the campaign and help his club past Kortrijk, to consolidate its place in 2nd position in the Pro League.
Ivory Coast’s goalkeeper Boubakar Barry, got shipped two goals as Rayol Excel Mouscron took its chances of surviving demotion to leap past Lokeren.
South Africa’s Ernest Jali was on for Oostende with teammate Dimata’s decisive goal that wreaked havoc on Waasland-Beveren.
Tanzania’s Ally Samatta applied the brakes on his three-game run without a goal, securing the winner for a stuttering Genk.
Belfodi of Algeria and Eyong Enoh from Cameroon, watched impotently as leaders Club Brugge did just what they thought of Standard Liege, packing three unanswered goals past them.
In another Pro League duel, Anderlecht did a light work of Igor Vetokele’s Sint-Truiden.
Turkey
Cameroon trio Pierre Achille Webo Kouamo, Etame, and Samuel Eto’o all lit up the score sheet in a meeting between Osmanlispor and Antalyaspor. The latter ran out victors.
It was 35-year-old Webo’s 104th career league goal in a total of 21,424 minutes, despite losing in the end.
Magaye Geuye scored his sixth goal for third-from-bottom Andanaspor.
Featured photo: Joel Matip came on as a substitute for Liverpool but could not change in what could be, a big blow to the club’s title hopes. (GETTY IMAGES)
