BY NADIA NTIAMOAH
Ghanaian footballers abroad enjoyed an impressive weekend across several European leagues, with Mohammed Kudus, Ernest Nuamah, Bernard Tekpetey, Rahim Ibrahim and Joseph Opoku among the standout performers.
The weekend produced a series of important contributions from Ghanaian players, with several finding the back of the net for their respective clubs, while others delivered strong performances in domestic league competitions across Europe and the United States.
Mohammed Kudus was named Man of the Match following Tottenham Hotspur’s 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace in the English Premier League, capping an influential performance for the North London club.
In France, Ernest Nuamah continued his scoring form for Lyon, finding the net in their 2-0 victory over Angers. The goal was his fourth in the league this season, underlining his growing importance to the French side.
Bernard Tekpetey also made an impact from the bench, scoring for Bulgarian champions Ludogorets in their 3-0 win over Lokomotiv Plovdiv, while Rahim Ibrahim was on target for Slovan Bratislava in their 2-1 victory over Podbrezova in Slovakia. Ibrahim’s strike was his fifth league goal of the campaign.
In Switzerland, Ghanaian duo Daniel Afriyie and David Acquah both found the net as FC Aarau staged a dramatic comeback to beat Neuchâtel Xamax 3-1 in the Swiss Challenge League on Friday.
Joseph Opoku was another Ghanaian to attract attention in England, delivering an outstanding performance for Swansea City. He scored and provided an assist as the Welsh side returned to winning ways with a commanding 4-0 victory over Blackburn Rovers in the Championship.
England
Kudus was the headline performer in Tottenham’s 2-0 win over Crystal Palace, earning the Man of the Match award for his contribution to the victory.
Caleb Yirenkyi completed 90 minutes for Coventry City in their 3-1 victory over Sunderland, while Issahaku Fatawu featured for 70 minutes as Ipswich Town played out a 2-2 draw against Hull City.
In the Championship, Joseph Opoku delivered a decisive display for Swansea City, scoring once and providing an assist in their emphatic 4-0 win over Blackburn Rovers.
France
Ernest Nuamah continued his impressive campaign for Lyon by scoring in their 2-0 victory over Angers. The Ghanaian winger has now registered four league goals this season.
In Ligue 2, Augustine Boakye played the full 90 minutes for Saint-Étienne, who suffered a 3-0 defeat against Guingamp.
Germany
In the Bundesliga, Derrick Köhn completed the full match for Union Berlin in their 1-1 draw against FC Köln.
Patrick Pfeiffer featured for Darmstadt in their 1-1 stalemate against Magdeburg in the Bundesliga 2, while Daniel Kofi Kyereh played 75 minutes for VfL Osnabrück in their 2-0 defeat to Wolfsburg.
Austria
Edmund Baidoo featured for Salzburg as they recorded an emphatic 5-1 victory over Austria Lustenau.
Belgium Emmanuel Addai played 67 minutes for Leuven in their 2-1 victory over Sint-Truiden in the Belgian Jupiler Pro League.
Bosnia Joseph Amoah completed 90 minutes for Čelik Zenica, who suffered a 4-2 defeat against Borac Banja Luka.
Bulgaria
Bernard Tekpetey came off the bench to score for Ludogorets in their comfortable 3-0 victory over Lokomotiv Plovdiv, adding another important contribution to his club’s campaign.
Cyprus
Braydon Marvin Manu played 23 minutes for Nea Salamis in their 1-0 defeat to Omonia 29th May.Alex Sarfo featured for 26 minutes as Aris Limassol secured a 2-1 victory over Anorthosis, with Clifford Aboagye completing the full 90 minutes for the losing side.
Czech Republic
Prince Adu played 66 minutes for Viktoria Plzeň in their commanding 4-0 victory over Baník Ostrava.
Denmark
Stephan Acquah made a late appearance for Nordsjælland, playing 12 minutes in their 3-2 defeat to Midtjylland.
Israel
Nana Antwi featured for Beitar Jerusalem in their 1-1 draw against Kiryat Shmona, while Matthew Cudjoe completed the full 90 minutes for Sakhnin in their 1-1 stalemate against Ironi Tiberias.
Douglas Owusu continued his trophy-winning run after helping Hapoel Tel Aviv secure the Israeli League Cup, popularly known as the Toto Cup. Hapoel claimed the title following a thrilling 3-2 victory over city rivals Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Serbia
Skima Togbe played 73 minutes for Novi Pazar in their 2-0 defeat to Radnički 1923.Iddrisu Baba also featured for Partizan Belgrade as they recorded a convincing 3-0 victory over Zemun.
Sweden
Frank Adjei played 68 minutes for Hammarby in their 2-1 victory over Malmö FF.
Norway
Solomon Owusu featured for Fredrikstad, who suffered a 3-0 defeat against Rosenborg.
Romania
Amin Ziblim played 80 minutes for CFR Cluj in their 1-1 draw against Petrolul.
Slovakia
Rahim Ibrahim continued his fine scoring form for Slovan Bratislava, finding the net in their 2-1 victory over Podbrezova. The goal was his fifth of the season.
Clement Ansah completed 90 minutes for Trenčín in their heavy 5-0 defeat to Košice, while Alexander Amoafo made a brief three-minute appearance for Podbrezova.
Switzerland
Lawrence Ati-Zigi was in goal for St. Gallen as they secured a 2-1 victory over Servette.In the Swiss Challenge League, Daniel Afriyie and David Acquah both scored as FC Aarau came from behind to secure a dramatic 3-1 win over Neuchâtel Xamax on Friday.
Turkey
Elisha Owusu played 59 minutes for Erzurumspor FK in their 3-1 defeat to Çorum FK.Kwame Peprah featured for 84 minutes for Fenerbahçe in their 2-1 loss to Göztepe, while Jesuran Rak-Sakyi played 66 minutes for Kasımpaşa in their 2-2 draw against Beşiktaş.
United States
In Major League Soccer, Manu Agyemang completed the full 90 minutes for Charlotte FC in their emphatic 4-0 victory over Orlando City.
Ezekiel Alladoh played 60 minutes for Philadelphia Union in their 1-0 defeat to FC Cincinnati, while Lalas Abubakar featured for the entire match as FC Dallas drew 1-1 with Sporting Kansas City.
Manu Duah made a 17-minute appearance for San Diego FC in their 1-0 victory over St. Louis City.Joseph Paintsil also completed 90 minutes for LA Galaxy, although his side suffered a 4-1 defeat against Austin FC.
