African stars shine across Europe as Iwobi, Ndicka and Gueye headline prolific weekend

African talent once again took centre stage across Europe’s top leagues, delivering decisive goals, assists and commanding displays that shaped results in England, Italy, Spain and France.

From London to Rome and Villarreal to Nantes, the continent’s exports left an indelible mark on a weekend defined by drama, late winners and statements of intent in domestic title and survival races.

Iwobi inspires Fulham as Palace snatch late glory

In the English top flight, Alex Iwobi was instrumental in Fulham’s impressive 3-1 triumph over Sunderland. The Nigeria international dictated tempo in midfield and provided the cutting edge in attack, beginning with a pinpoint corner that Raul Jimenez powered home to give the hosts an early advantage.

Jimenez later doubled the lead from the penalty spot after Calvin Bassey was brought down, calmly dispatching the effort following a VAR review.

Sunderland briefly threatened a response when Enzo Le Fee converted from 12 yards after Ryan Sessegnon’s foul handed the visitors a route back into the contest. Yet Fulham remained composed.

Harry Wilson launched a rapid counter-attack before releasing Iwobi, who showed superb balance and awareness to fire home from a tight angle and restore breathing space. The victory lifts Fulham into 10th place, while Sunderland remain in mid-table.

At Selhurst Park, Crystal Palace left it late to break Wolverhampton Wanderers’ resistance. Wolves had the better of the first half and squandered a prime opportunity when Tolu Arokodare’s penalty was comfortably saved by Dean Henderson.

The visitors’ task became more difficult after Ladislav Krejci received two quick bookings shortly after the restart. Palace gradually asserted control, and in the 90th minute Tyrick Mitchell’s low cross was expertly converted at the near post by Evan Guessand, sealing a dramatic win.

Ndicka and Ekuban power Italian statements

In Serie A, Evan Ndicka found the net as Roma produced a commanding 3-0 victory over Cremonese to strengthen their push for Champions League qualification.

The capital club controlled proceedings from the outset, with Gianluca Mancini striking the crossbar before the interval. The breakthrough arrived after the restart when Bryan Cristante rose highest to head in Lorenzo Pellegrini’s corner.

Roma’s pressure continued to mount and Ndicka doubled the lead in the 77th minute, reacting sharply to convert from close range for his first league goal of the campaign. Substitute Niccolo Pisilli added a third late on, ensuring Roma moved level on points with third-placed Napoli, while Cremonese’s winless streak stretched to 12 matches.

Elsewhere in Italy, Ghana forward Caleb Ekuban was among the scorers as Genoa cruised to a 3-0 win over Torino at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris. Brooke Norton-Cuffy opened the scoring with a composed finish following sustained early pressure.

Ekuban then extended the advantage before half-time, guiding his effort beyond the goalkeeper to put the hosts firmly in control. Torino’s challenge effectively ended when Emirhan Ilkhan was dismissed in stoppage time. Junior Messias capped a dominant display with a well-taken third in the 83rd minute.

Gueye decisive in Spanish derby as Lookman and Bakambu deliver

In LaLiga, Senegal’s Pape Gueye emerged as the hero in Villarreal’s 2-1 victory over Valencia in the fiercely contested Derbi de la Comunitat. The contest began amid controversy, with Nicolas Pepe denied a penalty before being forced off injured. Valencia struck first through Largie Ramazani’s penalty after Umar Sadiq was fouled. Villarreal responded before the break when Santi Comesana levelled the score.

The decisive moment arrived in stoppage time. After Ramazani handled inside the area, Gueye stepped forward and calmly converted the resulting penalty to secure all three points. The win extended Villarreal’s dominant home run against their regional rivals.

Atletico Madrid also benefited from African influence as Ademola Lookman netted in a 4-2 victory over Espanyol.

Following an exchange of goals that saw Alexander Sorloth equalise and then score again, Lookman rose at the far post to head home from a Matteo Ruggeri corner, effectively swinging momentum in Atletico’s favour. Sorloth later completed his brace to seal a comprehensive win.

Cedric Bakambu continued his resurgence with the only goal in Real Betis’ narrow 1-0 triumph over Rayo Vallecano. The experienced striker capitalised on defensive hesitation in the 16th minute, calmly finishing to register his third league goal of the season and underline his renewed sharpness.

Ganago and Dieng feature in French drama

In France, Ignatius Ganago converted from the penalty spot as Nantes secured a 2-0 victory over Le Havre at the Beaujoire.

The hosts took an early lead through an own goal by Yanis Zouaoui before Ganago confidently dispatched his spot-kick after Youssef El Arabi was fouled. Goalkeeper Anthony Lopes ensured the clean sheet with a crucial late intervention.

Meanwhile, Bamba Dieng played a key role in Lorient’s thrilling 3-3 draw with Nice at the Allianz Riviera. Nice dominated early and built a two-goal cushion, but Lorient fought back through Pablo Pagis before the interval. After Nice restored their advantage, Dieng converted a penalty to reduce the deficit, and in stoppage time Noah Cadiou struck to secure a dramatic share of the spoils.