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Ba, Again Leads Africa’s Performance In Europe

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Senegal’s Demba Ba is the English Premier League’s leading
scorer after netting both Newcastle United goals in a 2-2 draw at Reading at
the weekend.

Previously unhappy with the decision of manager Alan Pardew
to use him as a wide striker, Ba has netted five times in three outings. He has
six goals overall.

Malian Jimmy Kebe and Ivorian Gervinho were also on target
in the Premier League, whilst Angolan Manucho struck twice for Valladolid as
they eased to victory in Spain’s La Liga.

ENGLAND

DEMBA BA (Newcastle): The Senegal striker twice equalised in
a 2-2 draw against Reading. His first goal was a sublime volley on the run
following a clipped pass from Ivorian Cheick Tiote. But controversy surrounded
his second when he inadvertently diverted the ball into the net off his hand
with an attempted header.

JIMMY KEBE (Reading): The Malian opened the scoring in the
58th minute when he slotted a low shot inside the near post but the eventual
draw meant his side stay in the bottom three.

GERVINHO (Arsenal): The Ivorian drew the Gunners level
against Chelsea with a well-worked shot that saw him take just one touch before
beating Petr Cech from eight yards, but his goal was not enough to inspire an
Arsenal revival as Chelsea won 2-1. He has scored four goals this season, as
many as he managed for the entire 2011-12 campaign.

FRANCE

FOUED KADIR (Valenciennes): The Algeria midfielder scored
one goal and made another as Valenciennes ended Marseille’s 100 percent start
to the season with a stunning 4-1 win at Stade du Hainaut.

YOUNES BELHANDA (Montpellier): Belhanda broke the deadlock
as defending champions Montpellier won 2-0 at Nancy to register only their
second win of the new season. His Senegalese colleague Souleymane Camara made
the points safe in the final minute with a fine 25-yard drive.

CHEICK DIABATE (Bordeaux): Giant Mali striker Diabate got on
the score-sheet for the first time this season to seal Bordeaux’s
smash-and-grab 2-0 success at previously unbeaten Lyon. The towering
centre-forward out-jumped Mouhamadou Dabo to head home from close range in the
82nd minute, as Francis Gillot’s side extended their unbeaten run to 10 games
in all competitions.

GERMANY

JOEL MATIP (Schalke): The Cameroon international scored his
first goal of the season in a 2-2 draw at Fortuna Dusseldorf. Matip hit the
target with a well-timed header in the 20th minute from a Christian Fuchs
free-kick.

DIDIER YA KONAN (Hanover): Three days after scoring twice in
a 4-1 win over Nuremberg, the Ivory Coast star was kept at bay by the Hamburg
defence in 1-0 defeat. He came close, however, with an acrobatic scissor-kick
which went over the bar.

ITALY

KWADWO ASAMOAH (Juventus): Asamoah was used only as a
second-half substitute by Juventus caretaker coach Massimo Carrera in a 4-1 win
over Roma.

KEVIN PRINCE BOATENG (AC Milan): Boateng showed an improved
performance as the Rossoneri laboured to a 1-1 draw at Parma when they really
should have won the match. Boateng had several attempts on goal, but after
seeing ‘Little Pharaoh’ Stephan El Shaarawy – an Italian who has an Egyptian
father – score for his side the Ghanaian woke to media claims he had been a
“flop”.

SPAIN

ALEX SONG (Barcelona): It was another assured performance at
the back from Cameroon midfielder Song in a 3-2 win over Sevilla, as he
deputises in the absence of regular central defenders Gerard Pique and Carles
Puyol.

MANUCHO (Valladolid): Manucho’s Valladolid future was in
doubt earlier this year, but against Rayo Vallecano the Angolan produced one of
his best performances for the club with two goals in a 6-1 win.

OBAFEMI MARTINS (Levante): After making an immediate impact
with a winning goal in his debut last week against Real Sociedad, it was a
disappointing match for the Nigerian against Osasuna as Levante crashed 4-0. He
showed only glimpses of his pace and his only chance was a first-half header
that was comfortably saved.

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Tottenham Fight Back To Hold Brighton

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Tottenham fought back from two-goals down to secure a deserved point against Brighton.

The Seagulls were second best for much of the match but found themselves 2-0 up after 31 minutes thanks to Yankuba Minteh’s early strike and Yasin Ayari’s powerful drive.

However, Richarlison halved the deficit just before half-time when he stopped a shot by Mohammed Kudus before slotting in.

Spurs dominated the second half but their finishing let them down as Richarlison and substitute Xavi Simons were both unable to make the most of promising opportunities.

But the equaliser came eight minutes from time when Jan Paul van Hecke turned Kudus’ cross into his own net.

Spurs then pushed for a winner as they looked to continue their impressive start to the season, but Brighton held on for the point.

Bundesliga: Kane Continues Goal Harvest (5)

Harry Kane scored his second hat-trick of the season as Bayern Munich overcame a shaky start to win at Hoffenheim and continue their 100% start.

The England captain, 32, broke the deadlock on the stroke of half-time with a clinical first-time finish from a cleverly worked low corner, and doubled Bayern’s lead from the spot after Albian Hajdari was harshly penalised for a handball.

That broke Hoffenheim’s resistance and Kane completed his ninth Bundesliga hat-trick with another penalty, given for a foul on substitute Michael Olise after a video assistant referee (VAR) check.

This time Kane sent home keeper Oliver Baumann the wrong way for his 13th Bayern goal in seven matches across all competitions this season, adding to his Champions League double against Chelsea last Wednesday.

“Hat-trick Harry is what they called me in school,” Kane told Tidesports source after the match. “That one kind of stuck when I was younger.”

“Any ball in the box, whether penalty or not, I back myself to hit the target.”

Hoffenheim had the better of the first 45 minutes, Fisnik Asllani only able to hit the post after goalkeeper Manuel Neuer passed straight to the Kosovan.

They eventually got some reward for their efforts, former West Ham full-back Vladimir Coufal’s deflected free-kick beating Neuer to earn the Czech his first goal for the club.

Ex-Liverpool winger Luis Diaz hit the top of the bar late on as he failed to continue his record of scoring in every Bundesliga game this season, but Serge Gnabry added a fourth for Bayern with the last kick, converting a rebound from a tight angle after Baumann saved from Joshua Kimmich.

Nicolas Jackson made his first start since joining Bayern on an initial loan deal from Chelsea, but the Senegal striker had a very quiet game before being replaced in the 62nd minute.

In Italy, Lorenzo Pellegrini fired Roma into the Serie A top four as Lazio had two players sent off in a fiery derby.

The midfielder found the bottom corner in the 38th minute as Roma extended their unbeaten run to four games against their city rivals.

Lazio have lost three of their opening games of the season and had Reda Belahyane and former Arsenal midfielder Matteo Guendouzi dismissed in late drama.

Roma started well and Rome-born Pellegrini claimed the vital goal – his fourth in a Rome derby after being available for transfer in the summer – following good work down the right by Matias Soule.

But the hosts will rue missed opportunities as Boulaye Dia, Mattia Zaccagni and Alessio Romagnoli all had openings.

With four minutes left substitute Belahyane was shown a red card for a late studs-up challenge on Manu Kone.

Danilo Cataldi struck the outside of the post for Lazio in a last-gasp effort to snatch a point, while team-mate Guendouzi was sent off for dissent after the final whistle.

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Zidane’s Son Switches Allegiance To Algeria

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Luca Zidane, the son of France’s World Cup-winning playmaker Zinedine, has switched his international allegiance from France to Algeria.

Born just outside Marseille, the 27-year-old goalkeeper had appeared for France at various youth levels.

The move, which was approved by Fifa, may enable Zidane to follow in his father’s footsteps by appearing at a World Cup, with Algeria expected to secure a place at the 2026 finals in North America in their qualifier against Somalia next month.

Zidane, who is the second of four brothers, all of whom came through the Real Madrid academy, currently plays for Spanish second tier side Granada.

He played two matches for Madrid and has La Liga experience at Rayo Vallecano, but dropped a level in 2022 to play for Eibar before heading to Andalusia in 2024.

Zidane qualifies for the North African country through his father, whose parents hailed from the Kabylie region of Algeria.

Zinedine Zidane, who is regarded as one of the games greatest players scored twice for France in their 1998 World Cup final victory over Brazil, but was famously sent-off in the 2006 final, which was won by Italy after a penalty shootout.

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Man Utd Beat Chelsea To Ease Pressure 

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Manchester United capitalised on Robert Sanchez’s fifth-minute red card to secure a crucial victory over Chelsea in torrential rain at Old Trafford.

The first match in Premier League history to see two or more goals, red cards and substitutions in the first half was settled by goals from United skipper Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro, who was the other player sent off before the break.

It was Sanchez’s dismissal that set the course of the game though.

The Spain international raced from his goal to meet Bryan Mbeumo as the striker ran beyond the Chelsea defence.

Sanchez then upended the forward outside his area rather than allow him past to tap the ball into an empty net.

Enzo Maresca’s response to the red card was to take off both Pedro Neto and Estevao Willian and, as Cole Palmer had to be replaced after suffering a recurrence of a groin injury, Chelsea had lost three attacking players in the space of 20 minutes.

Trevor Chalobah pulled one back for Chelsea with a header 10 minutes from time but United kept their nerves at bay to make it to the final whistle with their lead intact.

The victory was United’s second of the season and came in front of minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who gave head coach Ruben Amorim assurances over his future 48 hours earlier.

It also means Chelsea have still not won at Old Trafford since 2013, when Sir Alex Ferguson was United manager.

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