Ghanaian Players Abroad: Paintsil hits hat-trick as Sulemana and Semenyo shine
It was another action-packed weekend across Europe and beyond for Ghanaian footballers, with standout performances in the top leagues.
From Joseph Paintsil’s stunning hat-trick in Major League Soccer to Kamaldeen Sulemana’s strike against Juventus in Serie A, and Antoine Semenyo’s continued scoring form in England, Ghanaian players made headlines while others put in solid shifts for their clubs.
France
In Ligue 1, Abdul Samed Salis started in midfield for Nice but was withdrawn at halftime in their 1-1 draw with Paris FC.
Francis Abu lasted 62 minutes for Toulouse in a 2-2 stalemate with Nantes.
At Auxerre, Gideon Mensah played the full 90 minutes in their 2-0 defeat to PSG, with Elisha Owusu featuring for 87 minutes before being replaced and Ibrahim Osman coming on for the final quarter-hour. In the same fixture, all three Ghanaians were unable to prevent defeat.
Elsewhere, Metz defender Terry Yegbe impressed at the back, guiding his side to their first clean sheet of the season in a goalless draw with Le Havre.
Alidu Seidu also returned to Rennes’ starting lineup after injury, playing a key role in keeping a clean sheet in their 0-0 draw with Lens.
Monaco’s Mohammed Salisu was an unused substitute in their 3-1 loss at Lorient.
England
In the Premier League, Mohammed Kudus made his eighth consecutive start for Tottenham Hotspur, completing the full game in a 1-1 draw with Wolves.
Antoine Semenyo scored his fourth league goal for Bournemouth, opening the scoring with a nice struck freekick in their 2-2 draw with Leeds United at Elland Road.
In the Championship, Brandon Thomas-Asante struck his third goal of the season as Coventry City ran out 3-0 winners over Birmingham City.
Jordan Ayew played 73 minutes in Leicester City’s 1-1 draw with West Brom, while Abdul Fatawu Issahaku lasted the full 90, helping the Foxes’ grab a late equalizer.
Spain
Thomas Partey started for Villarreal, lasting 72 minutes in their 1-0 win over Athletic Bilbao.
Inaki Williams, featuring for Bilbao, was replaced with 15 minutes left in the same game.
Germany
Derrick Kohn made his second consecutive start for Union Berlin, playing 80 minutes in their 0-0 Bundesliga draw with Hamburg, where compatriot Ransford Königsdörffer played 76 minutes for the opposition.
Christopher Antwi-Adjei was an unused substitute in Schalke 04’s 1-0 win over Greuther Fürth in Bundesliga 2.
Italy
Kamaldeen Sulemana continued his fine form in Serie A, scoring his second consecutive goal as Atalanta secured a 1-1 draw against Juventus at the Allianz Stadium in the Serie A.
Scotland
Nurudeen Abdulai was an unused substitute in Dunfermline’s 2-0 loss to Partick Thistle in the Scottish Championship.
Denmark
Nordsjaelland featured four Ghanaians in their 2-1 defeat to Aarhus. Caleb Yirenkyi and Stephen Acquah both completed 90 minutes, Prince Amoako played 82 minutes before being replaced by Issaka Seidu.
Switzerland
Jonas Adjetey was an unused substitute in FC Basel’s 2-1 defeat to Luzern.
At St. Gallen, Lawrence Ati-Zigi produced eight saves but could not prevent his side from losing 3-1 to FC Zurich.
Turkey
Jerome Opoku endured a tough outing, scoring an own goal in Istanbul Basaksehir’s 2-1 defeat to Konyaspor.
Nicholas Opoku, however, starred for Kasimpasa, playing 90 minutes and earning an 8.1 rating by Flashscore in their 2-1 victory over Rizespor.
Felix Afena-Gyan also featured in Turkey’s second tier, coming on in the 22nd minute for Amedspor in their 2-0 win over Sariyer.
Belgium
Lawrence Agyekum played 73 minutes for Cercle Brugge but couldn’t prevent a 4-2 defeat to Genk.
Russia
Alexander Djiku impressed for Spartak Moscow, helping them keep a clean sheet in their 3-0 win against Pari NN.
Netherlands
Sadiq Ibrahim was on target for AZ Alkmaar, scoring in their 2-1 defeat to Nijmegen in the Eredivisie.
Sweden
Frank Jr. Adjei came on for the final 25 minutes for Hammarby in their 1-0 loss to Halmstad, while Naeem Mohammed came on for the winners with 17 minutes left to help see out the result.
Ireland
Joseph Anang was in goal for St. Patrick’s in their 1-0 defeat to Sligo Rovers, making three key saves.
Austria
Edmund Baidoo played just over an hour for RB Salzburg in their 2-1 win over Tirol.
Saudi Arabia
Christopher Bonsu Baah played the first half for Al Qadisiya in their 1-0 win against Al Fateh.
USA – MLS
Osman Bukari came on as a 62nd-minute substitute for Austin FC in their 3-1 defeat to Real Salt Lake.
Joseph Paintsil stole the headlines, netting a stunning first-half hat-trick for LA Galaxy in their 4-1 thrashing of Sporting Kansas City, earning a perfect rating of 10.0 by Flashscore.