The Japan Times - African players in Europe: Wissa deals blow to Arsenal

Wissa claimed his 16th goal of the season in all competitions by scoring from close range after Ghana midfielder Thomas Partey had put the Gunners ahead.

A day later, leaders Liverpool snatched a last-gasp 2-1 win over West Ham United to lead Arsenal by 13 points with six rounds remaining.

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

ENGLAND

THOMAS PARTEY (Arsenal) and YOANE WISSA (Brentford)

Picked out by Declan Rice's pass after the England midfielder ran from deep inside his own half, Partey struck with a composed finish from 12 yards in the 61st minute at the Emirates Stadium. But Arsenal were unable to secure the win that would have kept pressure on Liverpool. In the 74th minute, Wissa swivelled to fire home.

OMAR MARMOUSH (Manchester City)

The Egypt forward helped his side fight back from two goals down to beat Crystal Palace 5-2 at the Etihad Stadium. Marmoush bagged City's 36th-minute equaliser with a clinical strike for his seventh goal since arriving from Eintracht Frankfurt in January. City's win boosted their bid to qualify for next season's UEFA Champions League via a top-five finish.

ABDOULAYE DOUCOURE (Everton)

The Mali midfielder fired Everton to a 1-0 win at third-placed Nottingham Forest. Doucoure struck four minutes into stoppage-time from Dwight McNeil's cross as Everton dented third-placed Forest's bid to appear in the Champions League for the first time since the 1980/81 season.

SPAIN

PATHE CISS (Rayo Vallecano)

The Senegal midfielder put Rayo ahead before half-time, but hosts Athletic Bilbao recovered for a 3-1 La Liga win that kept them fourth, and on track for a Champions League place. Ciss pounced on a rebound after 37 minutes to score his fourth goal of the campaign.

GERMANY

SAMUEL ESSENDE (Augsburg)

The DR Congo international scored the opener in Augsburg's 2-1 win at Bochum, which kept their unlikely European bid alive. Essende's shot from just inside the box took a wicked deflection and found the net on 16 minutes. Dangling near the Bundesliga relegation zone towards the end of 2024, Augsburg have lost just one of their past 13 games.

SERHOU GUIRASSY (Borussia Dortmund)

Guirassy was responsible for Borussia's equaliser in a 2-2 draw at Bayern Munich. After an unhappy night against Barcelona, where he missed several chances, the Guinea forward cut a strong figure against the leaders. With Bayern 2-1 in front, Guirassy collected the ball with his back to goal, spun and got a shot away despite the attention of four defenders. The ball was saved, but fell to Waldemar Anton, who tapped home.

FRANCE

YOUSSOUF NDAYISHIMIYE (Nice)

The 26-year-old Burundi defender kept Nice's Champions League dreams alive and kicking with a 94th-minute equaliser against fellow European hopefuls Strasbourg.

K.Inoue--JT