African Players in Europe: Osimhen, Salah Open Goal Accounts 

 Football - Premier League - Liverpool v AFC Bournemouth - Anfield, Liverpool, Britain - August 19, 2023 Liverpool's Mohamed Salah celebrates scoring their first goal. (Reuters)
Football - Premier League - Liverpool v AFC Bournemouth - Anfield, Liverpool, Britain - August 19, 2023 Liverpool's Mohamed Salah celebrates scoring their first goal. (Reuters)
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African Players in Europe: Osimhen, Salah Open Goal Accounts 

 Football - Premier League - Liverpool v AFC Bournemouth - Anfield, Liverpool, Britain - August 19, 2023 Liverpool's Mohamed Salah celebrates scoring their first goal. (Reuters)
Football - Premier League - Liverpool v AFC Bournemouth - Anfield, Liverpool, Britain - August 19, 2023 Liverpool's Mohamed Salah celebrates scoring their first goal. (Reuters)

African stars Victor Osimhen and Mohamed Salah opened their goal accounts for the season as they helped Napoli and Liverpool to league victories at the weekend.

Osimhen, the leading Serie A scorer last season, netted twice in a 3-1 win at Frosinone while Salah atoned for having a penalty parried by tapping in the rebound in a 3-1 victory over Bournemouth.

Here, AFP Sport highlights African headline-makers in the major European leagues:

ENGLAND

MOHAMED SALAH (Liverpool)

The Egyptian, who has been voted African Footballer of the Year twice, netted in the 36th minute for a 2-1 Premier League lead as he fired the penalty rebound past Bournemouth captain and goalkeeper Neto.

PAPE SARR (Tottenham)

The Senegal midfielder netted his maiden goal for the north Londoners in their impressive 2-0 win against Manchester United. Sarr steered home from close range in the 49th minute to end the stalemate. The 20-year-old has been given a chance in the heart of midfield by new Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou, and responded with a dynamic display.

YOANE WISSA (Brentford)

The Democratic Republic of Congo forward produced the key moments as the Bees won 3-0 at London rivals Fulham. Pouncing on a mistake from Issa Diop in the 44th minute, Wissa rounded goalkeeper Bernd Leno to score. In the 64th minute, Wissa was pushed by Tim Ream in the area as he attempted to shoot. Ream was given a second yellow card and sent off, and Cameroon forward Bryan Mbeumo netted the penalty and scored again in added time.

SPAIN

INAKI WILLIAMS (Athletic Bilbao)

The Ghana international broke the deadlock in Athletic's 2-0 La Liga win at Osasuna with a finish from close range after being set up by his younger brother Nico Williams. Inaki scored 10 league goals last season, his second best career tally in the Spanish top flight.

ITALY

VICTOR OSIMHEN (Napoli)

Nigeria forward Osimhen started his season where he left off in the last campaign with a super double in Napoli's 3-1 win at promoted Frosinone. The 24-year-old crashed in a rocket shot off the crossbar to put the champions in the lead shortly before the break and sealed the points with a simple finish past Stefano Turati after being sent clear by captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo.

GERMANY

SERHOU GUIRASSY (Stuttgart)

Guinean Guirassy, Stuttgart's top scorer last season, netted twice in a 5-0 home demolition of Bochum. Alongside DR Congo striker Silas Mvumpa, who also scored twice, Guirassy spearheaded a fine attacking display from Stuttgart, who needed a playoff win over Hamburg to avoid relegation last season.

FRANCE

MARSHALL MUNETSI (Reims)

An early headed goal from the Zimbabwean set up Reims for a 2-0 Ligue 1 win over Clermont -- their first of the season after an opening-round defeat. After the visitors failed to clear a corner, Munetsi beat Senegalese goalkeeper Mory Diaw from close range.



Hamburg Fires Steffen Baumgart as Coach after Five Games without a Win

08 November 2024, Lower Saxony, Brunswick: Hamburg coach Steffen Baumgart gives an interview before the German Bundesliga 2 soccer match between Eintracht Braunschweig and Hamburger SV. (dpa)
08 November 2024, Lower Saxony, Brunswick: Hamburg coach Steffen Baumgart gives an interview before the German Bundesliga 2 soccer match between Eintracht Braunschweig and Hamburger SV. (dpa)
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Hamburg Fires Steffen Baumgart as Coach after Five Games without a Win

08 November 2024, Lower Saxony, Brunswick: Hamburg coach Steffen Baumgart gives an interview before the German Bundesliga 2 soccer match between Eintracht Braunschweig and Hamburger SV. (dpa)
08 November 2024, Lower Saxony, Brunswick: Hamburg coach Steffen Baumgart gives an interview before the German Bundesliga 2 soccer match between Eintracht Braunschweig and Hamburger SV. (dpa)

Former Bundesliga heavyweight Hamburger SV has fired Steffen Baumgart as coach after five games without a win across all competitions.

The second-division club said Sunday it was letting Baumgart go because of a “crisis of performances and results” after the team’s 2-2 draw at home with Schalke on Saturday.

That left Hamburg eighth in the 18-team division, four points behind early leader Paderborn after 13 rounds.

“Steffen gave everything with great passion, energy and commitment right up to the end for HSV. However, our analysis of the current situation and yesterday’s game has once again made it clear that we believe a new impetus is necessary,” Hamburg sporting director Stefan Kuntz said.

The club said Baumgart, who was a Hamburg fan as a child, took the news “calmly” on Sunday morning.

“It was an exciting and very intense time,” the former Cologne coach said. “I remain connected to the club and hope that HSV achieves its goals.”

Hamburg has been bidding to return to the Bundesliga since its demotion from the top flight in 2018. It had been the only ever-present team in the league since it was founded in 1963, earning the nickname “der Dino.”

But every season since relegation has ended in disappointment. Hamburg rival St. Pauli was promoted last season to add to Hamburg fans’ woes.

Baumgart, a former Hansa Rostock and Union Berlin forward, took over as Hamburg coach in February, when the team was third, but ultimately it was unable to improve and finished fourth – one place behind Fortuna Düsseldorf in the promotion playoff spot.

Hamburg said Baumgart’s assistants Rene Wagner and Kevin McKenna were also let go, and that assistant coach Merlin Polzin will prepare the team for its next game at Karlsruher SC.

There was no mention of a permanent successor.