Champions League: Top 5 Africans who stood out on matchday 2

14.10.26 FT Champions League

Aston Villa

6

:

Fenerbahce

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Several African players stood out during the second matchday of the league phase of the UEFA Champions League 2026/2027.

Special mention goes to the Senegalese representatives, who scored 3 goals through Nicolas Jackson and Assane Diao.

Meanwhile, Nigerian Ademola Lookman made the difference for Atlético Madrid, as did Moroccan Abdessamad Ezzalzouli for Real Betis.

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A look at the Top 5 Africans who stood out on matchday 2.

Ademola Lookman (Nigeria/Atlético Madrid)

The Nigerian striker stood out in the match against Manchester United, notably scoring the goal that made it 2-0.

Despite limited playing time, not exceeding 19 minutes, he made the difference by scoring the decisive goal.

Ademola Lookman has played 25 matches in Europe’s premier club competition, with Atalanta and Atlético Madrid respectively, recording 9 goals and 6 assists.

Ange-Yoan Bonny (Ivory Coast/Inter Milan)

The Ivory Coast international opened his UEFA Champions League account last Tuesday in his club Inter Milan’s 4-3 defeat to Club Brugge.

This goal earned him a place in the very select group of Ivorian goalscorers in the European Champions League.

Signed in 2025 from Parma, Ange-Yoan Bonny has played 55 matches for the Nerazzurri, scoring 9 goals and providing 9 assists.

Nicolas Jackson (Senegal/Aston Villa)

With 3 goals in 2 matches for Aston Villa, the Senegal international is one of the most prolific players in the 2026-2027 edition of the UEFA Champions League.

After scoring twice against Turkish club Fenerbahçe, the Banjul native received a rating of 9.5 from specialist website Sofascore.

In 12 matches in the competition, he has scored 6 goals and provided 2 assists.

Anis Hadj Moussa (Algeria/Feyenoord Rotterdam)

The Algeria international confirmed his explosive start to the season by scoring a goal and providing an assist in his club Feyenoord Rotterdam’s 3-2 win over Como.

An XXL performance that earned him a rating of 8.6 from specialist website Sofascore.

Anis Hadj Moussa has scored 4 goals and provided 2 assists in 13 UEFA Champions League appearances.

Abdessamad Ezzalzouli (Morocco/Real Betis)

The Moroccan winger was one of the key figures in his club Real Betis’ 3-2 victory over FC Porto.

In addition to his goal, he was highly valuable with his pace, dribbling and ability to win duels (8 won out of 13 contested).

Abdessamad Ezzalzouli opened his UEFA Champions League account in his first match in the competition.

Imed Ben Amara |

Editorar, fr

Imed Ben Amara - bilingual sports writer and web editor with experience in football content creation. Since 2021, he has contributed to Foot Africa, providing news coverage and analysis.

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