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African Players in Europe: Goals for Salah, Beto in Merseyside Derby

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah greets fans after the English Premier League soccer match between Everton and Liverpool in Liverpool, England, Sunday, April 19, 2026. (AP)
Liverpool's Mohamed Salah greets fans after the English Premier League soccer match between Everton and Liverpool in Liverpool, England, Sunday, April 19, 2026. (AP)
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African Players in Europe: Goals for Salah, Beto in Merseyside Derby

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah greets fans after the English Premier League soccer match between Everton and Liverpool in Liverpool, England, Sunday, April 19, 2026. (AP)
Liverpool's Mohamed Salah greets fans after the English Premier League soccer match between Everton and Liverpool in Liverpool, England, Sunday, April 19, 2026. (AP)

Egypt captain Mohamed Salah scored for Liverpool and Guinea-Bissau striker Beto for Everton in the Merseyside derby which the Reds won 2-1 at the weekend.

Salah, who will leave Anfield at the end of the season, claimed his seventh Premier League goal this season. Beto has netted nine times in all competitions.

Victory strengthened Liverpool's push for a Champions League place. They occupy the fifth and final qualifying spot, seven points ahead of sixth-placed Chelsea with five matches to play.

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

ENGLAND

MOHAMED SALAH (Liverpool)

Salah opened the scoring for last season's champions, slotting home in the first half following a superbly weighted pass from Cody Gakpo. He equaled Steven Gerrard's nine goals to become the joint top-scorer in the league fixture between the Merseyside teams.

BETO (Everton)

Everton equalized 10 minutes into the second half when Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall crossed and Beto poked the ball into the net ahead of onrushing goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, who was stretchered off.

GERMANY

NICOLAS JACKSON (Bayern Munich)

Starting in place of Harry Kane, Jackson scored Bayern's second as they came from a goal down to beat Stuttgart 4-2 and clinch the Bundesliga title. With the sides locked at 1-1, Jackson latched onto a Luis Diaz assist and his powerful shot put Bayern in front. The Senegal striker, on a season-long loan from Chelsea, has six goals and two assists in the league.

YAN DIOMANDE (RB Leipzig)

Leipzig winger Diomande's stock continued to rise after scoring another stunning solo goal in a 3-1 win at Eintracht Frankfurt. The Ivory Coast forward dribbled laterally past five defenders before slamming a superb strike across the goal and into the net. Only 19, Diomande has 12 goals and seven assists in the Bundesliga this season.

SERHOU GUIRASSY (Borussia Dortmund)

Guirassy's 14th league goal of the season was not enough as Borussia Dortmund lost 2-1 at Hoffenheim. With three minutes remaining, Guirassy hit a low shot from outside the box to equalize only for Hoffenheim to secure the points with a late penalty.

FRANCE

BAMBA DIENG (Lorient)

The Senegalese striker continued his superb run of form by scoring the second goal for Lorient in their 2-0 defeat of his former side Marseille. Dieng has scored 14 goals in all competitions for Lorient this season, including 11 in 2026. He recently returned to the Senegal squad and will hope his form ensures he goes to the World Cup finals.

MOSTAFA MOHAMED (Nantes)

The Egyptian is hoping to go to the World Cup with his country, but before that he must try to save Nantes from what looks like certain relegation. He put his team ahead with a fourth goal of the season but Nantes could only draw 1-1 at home to Brest, a result which leaves them five points adrift of the relegation play-off spot and nine points from outright safety with five games remaining. Next up is a midweek trip to leaders Paris Saint-Germain.

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Portugal Changes How No. 7 Is Written to Honor Cristiano Ronaldo

Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring the 1-2 goal during the FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Hungary, in Budapest, Hungary, 09 September 2025. (EPA)
Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring the 1-2 goal during the FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Hungary, in Budapest, Hungary, 09 September 2025. (EPA)
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Portugal Changes How No. 7 Is Written to Honor Cristiano Ronaldo

Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring the 1-2 goal during the FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Hungary, in Budapest, Hungary, 09 September 2025. (EPA)
Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring the 1-2 goal during the FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Hungary, in Budapest, Hungary, 09 September 2025. (EPA)

The Portugal football team is making a change to how the No. 7 is written to honor the recently-retired Cristiano Ronaldo.

Ronaldo, who wore the number and went on to make it his own as “CR7,” retired from international soccer last week, ending a remarkable career that spanned six World Cups, a European title, and the men’s all-time international scoring record.

“Time to debut a new 7. Because there’s one that will be eternal,” the Portuguese national team wrote on social media on Saturday. The post included a goat emoji to signify “Greatest Of All Time.”

It also included a video that showed a horizontal crossed line through the No. 7 as it’s commonly written in Europe, suggesting that Ronaldo’s successors will all have that cross to bear when they wear the number.

Portugal, already assured of reaching the quarterfinals, was hosting Denmark in the Nations League later Saturday.

The 41-year-old Ronaldo quit on Nov. 5 after falling out with coach Jorge Jesus. His last appearance with Portugal was Sept. 24 in a 1-0 home win over Wales in the Nations League.

Jesus kept him on the bench for the following match and said he didn’t plan to start him in the next one, so the superstar forward decided to leave the team’s training camp.

Jesus later said Ronaldo would be welcome back and the decision to return was up to him.

Sports

Ronaldinho Poised for Ravenna Start and, Perhaps, One Last Goal

Brazilian football legend Ronaldinho waves during Ravenna FC’s team presentation for the 2026-27 season in Marina di Ravenna, Italy, Aug. 20, 2026. (AFP)
Brazilian football legend Ronaldinho waves during Ravenna FC’s team presentation for the 2026-27 season in Marina di Ravenna, Italy, Aug. 20, 2026. (AFP)
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Ronaldinho Poised for Ravenna Start and, Perhaps, One Last Goal

Brazilian football legend Ronaldinho waves during Ravenna FC’s team presentation for the 2026-27 season in Marina di Ravenna, Italy, Aug. 20, 2026. (AFP)
Brazilian football legend Ronaldinho waves during Ravenna FC’s team presentation for the 2026-27 season in Marina di Ravenna, Italy, Aug. 20, 2026. (AFP)

Ronaldinho will roll back the years this weekend when the 46-year-old Brazilian starts his first competitive match in over a decade, and in the unlikely setting of an Italian third-tier derby the World Cup winner may realize his dream of scoring one last time.

The Brazil great and Ballon d'Or winner signed for Ravenna in June, also taking a stake in the club, but because he had not played since his final appearance for Fluminense in 2015, doubts remained over whether fans would ever see him in action.

Ravenna revealed ‌three weeks ago ‌that the former Barcelona and AC Milan player ‌would ⁠make his return ⁠in Sunday's home clash with local rivals Forli, and on Friday, manager Andrea Mandorlini told reporters that Ronaldinho would start the match.

"He will play from the start, there's no doubt," Mandorlini said.

"Then together we will decide how long he plays. He is one of the greatest players of the modern era. And we have to get a ⁠result. We always play with three forwards. He will ‌be one of the three."

Ronaldinho was ‌welcomed by the Ravenna fans in August, without committing to a return ‌to the pitch. He returned to Italy on Friday afternoon and ‌will have just one training session with his teammates on Saturday before making his club debut.

A temporary stand has been erected at the Stadio Bruno Benelli to cater for the crowd, and if this does turn out ‌to be one last hurrah for Ronaldinho, he may well get the chance to score his 300th ⁠professional goal.

"I ⁠scored my first Italian goal in the derby," Ronaldinho told Corriere della Sera, referring to his first official goal for AC Milan, which came against Inter Milan.

"It was a special evening that will remain in the memory of all AC Milan fans. It was September 28, 2008. I scored with a header, which is not my specialty. Who knows if I'll be able to repeat that feat tomorrow."

"... Returning to the pitch at 46 is the best move of my career."

Simone Rabbi will play alongside the Brazilian up front for Ravenna, and in Friday's press conference he said that if his side are awarded a penalty on Sunday, Ronaldinho will take the spot kick.

Sports

Andreeva Says She Is Learning to Move on Faster from Defeats After WTA Finals Sweep

Mirra Andreeva plays Diana Shnaider during day six of the FAGE WTA Finals at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on November 13, 2026 in Indian Wells, California. (Getty Images/AFP)
Mirra Andreeva plays Diana Shnaider during day six of the FAGE WTA Finals at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on November 13, 2026 in Indian Wells, California. (Getty Images/AFP)
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Andreeva Says She Is Learning to Move on Faster from Defeats After WTA Finals Sweep

Mirra Andreeva plays Diana Shnaider during day six of the FAGE WTA Finals at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on November 13, 2026 in Indian Wells, California. (Getty Images/AFP)
Mirra Andreeva plays Diana Shnaider during day six of the FAGE WTA Finals at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on November 13, 2026 in Indian Wells, California. (Getty Images/AFP)

Mirra Andreeva said she has learned to recover more quickly from setbacks after the Russian teenager completed an unbeaten run through the WTA Finals round-robin stage on Friday.

Andreeva won her third group-stage match in straight sets after a late opponent change, having already secured a semi-final berth. The 19-year-old said the match against tournament alternate Diana Shnaider presented a new mental challenge because her progression was guaranteed, but she still wanted to preserve her momentum.

"Before the tournament started I was afraid ‌that I ‌wouldn't win a match in the group," ‌Andreeva ⁠told reporters. "Now you ⁠see how it turned out."

The victory set up a first career meeting with American Jessica Pegula on Saturday. Andreeva described Pegula as one of the calmest players on tour and said coach Conchita Martinez would help prepare a detailed tactical plan.

Andreeva's poise in the desert marked a contrast with her emotional ⁠exit from Indian Wells in March, when ‌she lost her title defense ‌to Katerina Siniakova. Frustrated by the defeat, Andreeva launched into a profanity-laced ‌tirade toward spectators and was booed as she left ‌the court.

The French Open champion said her response to losses has changed significantly over the course of the season.

"Before it was super bad. I was very dramatic," Andreeva said. "It would take me a ‌good two, three days. I wouldn't talk to anybody. I would just sit in the ⁠room locked ⁠up, not wanting to practice."

Now, she said, disappointment generally lasts a day at most before the demands of the tour force her attention back to training or the next match.

Andreeva said the Indian Wells setback came while she was trying to incorporate changes made in practice into her match play, which produced inconsistency and frustration. She said continued work on court, along with sessions with psychologists, helped her make progress.

The results have followed. Andreeva won her first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros this year and arrived at the WTA Finals for her singles debut after a 50-win season.