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African Players in Europe: Salah off to AFCON amid Uncertainty 

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah looks on during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Brighton and Hove Albion in Liverpool, England, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. (AP)
Liverpool's Mohamed Salah looks on during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Brighton and Hove Albion in Liverpool, England, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. (AP)
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African Players in Europe: Salah off to AFCON amid Uncertainty 

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah looks on during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Brighton and Hove Albion in Liverpool, England, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. (AP)
Liverpool's Mohamed Salah looks on during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Brighton and Hove Albion in Liverpool, England, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. (AP)

Mohamed Salah heads for Morocco this week to captain Egypt in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) amid uncertainty over his future at Liverpool.

Salah came off the bench midway through the first half and set up the second goal in a 2-0 Premier League win over Brighton at the weekend.

After the match, manager Arne Slot said there was "no issue to resolve" with his star forward, but speculation continues to rumble over the Egyptian's future after his outburst last weekend.

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

ENGLAND

MOHAMED SALAH (Liverpool)

The 33-year-old came on as a substitute and seized his chance by setting up Liverpool's second goal for Hugo Ekitike. Salah had been left out of Liverpool's squad for Tuesday's Champions League victory at Inter Milan after his explosive rant about Slot following the recent draw at Leeds. That was the third successive game that Salah had been left on the bench and his furious claim that he had been "thrown under the bus" hinted at a potential departure from the troubled Premier League champions during the January transfer window.

CALVIN BASSEY (Fulham)

The Nigeria defender scored in his side's 3-2 win at Burnley. Bassey grabbed Fulham's second goal to put them 2-1 up in the 31st minute en route to their first victory at Turf Moor since 1951. The 25-year-old's close-range header from Harry Wilson's cross was his first goal since an FA Cup tie against Manchester United in March.

IBRAHIM SANGARE (Nottingham Forest)

The Ivory Coast midfielder capped his side's 3-0 victory over Tottenham with the final goal. Sangare netted in the 79th minute at the City Ground, bending a superb strike in off the post with the outside of his foot. The 28-year-old's second goal this season -- and his first in seven matches -- helped boost Forest's bid to avoid relegation.

SPAIN

AKOR ADAMS, CHIDERA EJUKE (Sevilla)

Nigerians Adams and Ejuke celebrated AFCON call-ups with a goal each as Sevilla hammered Real Oviedo 4-0 in La Liga. Adams opened the scoring in the fourth minute and Ejuke completed the rout with one minute of regular time remaining.

GERMANY

MOHAMED AMOURA (Wolfsburg)

Amoura scored for the second straight match in Wolfburg's 3-1 Bundesliga win at Borussia Moenchengladbach. With the teams level after 34 minutes, Amoura was on the spot to blast in a deflected Christian Eriksen cross, putting the visitors back in front. The 25-year-old has six goals and two assists for Wolfsburg in the league this season.

RAMY BENSEBAINI (Borussia Dortmund)

Borussia defender Bensebaini scored his side's only goal in a disappointing 1-1 draw at Freiburg. With Dortmund teammate and Guinea international Serhou Guirassy struggling in front of goal and missing chances, Bensebaini took matters into his own hands with 31 minutes gone. The Algerian latched onto a Yan Couto free-kick and blasted home from close range.

FRANCE

HIMAD ABDELLI, HAROUNA DJIBIRIN (Angers)

Algerian Abdelli converted an early penalty and Cameroonian Djibirin restored a two-goal lead on 85 minutes as mid-table Angers trounced lowly Nantes 4-1 in Ligue 1. Both Africans were scoring their second goals of the league campaign.

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Sports

Rodrygo Scrapes Real Madrid Win at Alaves

Real Madrid's Brazilian forward Rodrygo secured the visitors a much-needed victory at Alaves. ANDER GILLENEA / AFP
Real Madrid's Brazilian forward Rodrygo secured the visitors a much-needed victory at Alaves. ANDER GILLENEA / AFP
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Rodrygo Scrapes Real Madrid Win at Alaves

Real Madrid's Brazilian forward Rodrygo secured the visitors a much-needed victory at Alaves. ANDER GILLENEA / AFP
Real Madrid's Brazilian forward Rodrygo secured the visitors a much-needed victory at Alaves. ANDER GILLENEA / AFP

Kylian Mbappe and Rodrygo Goes's goals earned Real Madrid a tense 2-1 win at Alaves in La Liga on Sunday to potentially keep coach Xabi Alonso in his job.

Second-placed Madrid trimmed league leaders Barcelona's advantage back to four points and recorded only their third victory in the last nine games across all competitions.

After a home defeat by Manchester City in the Champions League on Wednesday, Spanish media reported that anything but a victory would cost Alonso his position, AFP said.

After Mbappe's superb opener, Carlos Vicente pulled Alaves level in the second half, but Rodrygo secured the visitors a much-needed victory at Mendizorroza stadium.

"It was a hard-fought game, we competed well, got in front and then lost a bit of control," Alonso told reporters.

"Alaves play with a lot of intensity, it's hard to dominate throughout. We came here to win and we got the three points."

The coach said, as he did after the City game, that he has the support of his squad.

"We're all together in this. One game isn't enough to change the dynamic," he said.

"Now before the winter break we have a cup game on Wednesday, and a game at home (in La Liga to come)."

Alonso was able to bring his key player, Mbappe, back into the side after he could only watch the defeat by City from the bench because of a painful knee.

The coach also handed a debut to Victor Valdepenas at left-back, with both Alvaro Carreras and Fran Garcia suspended, and Ferland Mendy one of several players out injured.

Mbappe appeared to be feeling his knee and also hobbling in the first few minutes but, despite that, was the game's most influential player.

The forward had a shot deflected wide and then fired narrowly over as Alaves sat deep and tried to keep the 15-time European champions at bay.

By the time Mbappe opened the scoring in the 25th minute, his discomfort seemed to have cleared up.

Released by Jude Bellingham, Mbappe drove towards goal at full tilt and whipped a shot into the top right corner for his 17th league goal of the campaign.

England international Bellingham then blasted home from close range but his strike was ruled out for handball.

Needing to fight back, Alaves moved on to the front foot and took control of the game before the break, almost pulling level.

Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois made a fine save with his head, even if he knew little about it, to deny Pablo Ibanez from close range.

Tight battle

Los Blancos were dangerous again soon after the interval, with Alaves goalkeeper Antonio Sivera saving well from Mbappe and then Vinicius Junior.

Real came to rue those misses when Vicente pulled Alaves level after 68 minutes.

The forward got in behind Antonio Rudiger, controlled former Madrid midfielder Antonio Blanco's chipped pass and whipped a shot past Courtois.

Eduardo Coudet's side almost took the lead when Vicente's low cross from the right was nudged wide by Toni Martinez, who was nudged off-balance by Raul Asencio's pressure.

Instead, Madrid pulled back in front, with Vinicius breaking in down the left and crossing for Rodrygo to finish from six yards out.

It was the Brazilian's second goal in two games after going the previous 32 matches without finding the net, and a tense Alonso celebrated wildly, knowing that his future could depend on it.

Vinicius had appeals for a penalty turned down as he fell under a challenge from Nahuel Tenaglia, and Bellingham came close in stoppage time as Madrid tried in vain to ease their nerves by putting the game to bed.

"I thought it was a clear penalty, Vini was going very fast, there was contact... it surprises me that it didn't go to VAR," said Alonso.

Third-place Villarreal's visit to Levante was postponed because of a weather warning in the Valencia region.

Real Oviedo, 19th, sacked coach Luis Carrion after a 4-0 hammering at Sevilla.

On Saturday, champions Barcelona beat Osasuna 2-0 to win a seventh straight La Liga game and ensure that they will lead the table into 2026, regardless of what happens in the final round of fixtures before the winter break.

Sports

Bayern Goalkeeper Neuer Set to Miss Last Game of Year with Hamstring Injury 

14 December 2025, Bavaria, Munich: Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer warms up ahead of the German Bundesliga soccer match between Bayern Munich and FSV Mainz 05 at the Allianz Arena. (dpa)
14 December 2025, Bavaria, Munich: Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer warms up ahead of the German Bundesliga soccer match between Bayern Munich and FSV Mainz 05 at the Allianz Arena. (dpa)
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Bayern Goalkeeper Neuer Set to Miss Last Game of Year with Hamstring Injury 

14 December 2025, Bavaria, Munich: Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer warms up ahead of the German Bundesliga soccer match between Bayern Munich and FSV Mainz 05 at the Allianz Arena. (dpa)
14 December 2025, Bavaria, Munich: Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer warms up ahead of the German Bundesliga soccer match between Bayern Munich and FSV Mainz 05 at the Allianz Arena. (dpa)

Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer could miss his team's last game of the year because of a hamstring tear.

The club said on Monday that the injury to Neuer's right hamstring was confirmed by a medical examination after the 39-year-old club captain played the entirety of Sunday's 2-2 draw with Mainz. That was a rare case of the unbeaten Bundesliga leader Bayern dropping points.

Bayern said Neuer would be unavailable “for the time being,” without giving further information on the severity of the injury.

The visit to Heidenheim in the Bundesliga on Sunday is the club's last before the winter break.

The German champion is next in action on Jan. 11 against Wolfsburg.

Sports

Mbeumo Faces Double Cameroon Challenge at AFCON 

Football - Premier League - Wolverhampton Wanderers v Manchester United - Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton, Britain - December 8, 2025 Manchester United's Bryan Mbeumo reacts. (Action Images via Reuters)
Football - Premier League - Wolverhampton Wanderers v Manchester United - Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton, Britain - December 8, 2025 Manchester United's Bryan Mbeumo reacts. (Action Images via Reuters)
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Mbeumo Faces Double Cameroon Challenge at AFCON 

Football - Premier League - Wolverhampton Wanderers v Manchester United - Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton, Britain - December 8, 2025 Manchester United's Bryan Mbeumo reacts. (Action Images via Reuters)
Football - Premier League - Wolverhampton Wanderers v Manchester United - Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton, Britain - December 8, 2025 Manchester United's Bryan Mbeumo reacts. (Action Images via Reuters)

Manchester United star Bryan Mbeumo must handle the twin challenges of scoring and captaincy when playing for Cameroon at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco this month.

With veteran striker Vincent Aboubakar surprisingly axed, the responsibility for scoring falls heavily on the 26-year-old who moved to Old Trafford from Brentford last July.

Goals have been hard to come by for the Indomitable Lions lately as they failed to find the net in two crucial 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

Needing maximum points at home against Angola two months ago to have any hope of automatic qualification, Cameroon managed only a 0-0 draw.

Given a second chance to qualify a month later as one of the best four African group runners-up, Cameroon fell 1-0 to the Democratic Republic of Congo in a play-off and were eliminated.

For Cameroon supporters, recalling the past exploits of star strikers like Roger Milla, Patrick Mboma and Samuel Eto'o, consecutive blanks were difficult to accept.

Mbeumo started in both matches, but poor service from midfield and tight marking meant scoring opportunities were scarce.

Aboubakar was the eight-goal leading scorer in the 2022 AFCON as hosts Cameroon finished third behind Senegal and Egypt.

It was an outstanding performance in the modern era of the premier African football tournament, finishing just one goal shy of matching the 1974 record of Congolese Ndaye Mulamba.

But Mbeumo was left without a potentially key partner in attack when new Cameroon coach David Pagou omitted Aboubakar from the Morocco-bound squad.

- Low morale -

"We wanted to do things differently. They are good players, but we set our sights on others to create a different mindset," said Pagou, referring to Aboubakar and goalkeeper Andre Onana.

While Mbeumo seeks goals in Group F against Gabon, title-holders Ivory Coast and Mozambique, he must also shoulder the additional responsibility of succeeding Aboubakar as captain.

He must lift a team whose morale is low after their failure to qualify for the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Cameroon hold the African record for World Cup appearances with eight. Losing out to Group D winners Cape Verde, a west African archipelago with a population of just 525,000, was a bitter blow.

Mbeumo was born in eastern France to a Cameroonian father and a French mother, making him eligible to represent either country.

He played underage football for France before switching his international allegiance to Cameroon. His highlight so far with the Indomitable Lions was competing at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

At club level, he spent one season with Troyes in France, then six with Brentford, helping the London club gain promotion to the Premier League.

He formed a dynamic attacking partnership with Democratic Republic of Congo winger Yoane Wissa at the Bees -- both scored in the same match six times last season.

It was a feat matched only by Liverpool pair Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo in the 2024-25 Premier League.

His six goals this season for United include a brace in a 4-2 home victory over Brighton.