Victor Osimhen equals Cristiano Ronaldo record, Sadio Mane returns for Bayern Munich after injury
Sadio Mane made his long-awaited return to action for Bayern Munich as they defeated Union Berlin — his first outing since before the World Cup — and there was an inevitable goal from Napoli’s Victor Osimhen, which put him level with a Cristiano Ronaldo record.
Meanwhile, Terem Moffi began to repay OGC Nice’s €25 million outlay for his services with a star turn in the derby against AS Monaco, and Hakim Ziyech’s muddled season continued with a rescinded red card for troubled Chelsea against Tottenham Hotspur.
Osimhen’s ominous season continues
One player who appears well placed to be recognised at FIFA’s The Best event in 12 months’ time is Napoli hotshot Osimhen, who maintained his irrepressible goalscoring form for Napoli against Empoli this weekend.
The 24-year-old took his tally for the season to 21 goals in 25 outings across all competitions this term, including 19 in 20 in the Italian top flight.
His 28th-minute goal on Saturday means he’s now scored in seven consecutive matches in all competitions, as well as eight consecutive Serie A matches, equalling Cristiano Ronaldo’s record in the league.
CR7 set a record in February 2020 when he became the first player to score in eight successive Serie A games — netting 11 goals during that run — while Osimhen has netted 10 across his last 11 outings stretching back to January 8th.
Only Liberia president George Weah — the sole African player to win the Ballon d’Or — stands ahead of Osimhen in the all-time Serie A goal charts for players from the continent, although it’s a record that’s likely to fall in the coming weeks.
Weah great scored 46 goals in the Italian top flight across his 114 Serie A outings for AC Milan, while Osimhen already has 43 goals in 71 league outings since signing for the Partenopei from Napoli for a reported $96 million in 2020.
With Internazionale dropping points at Bologna, Napoli extended their lead to a remarkable 18 points as their first title in three decades draws ever closer.
Mane man returns after long absence
From winning a first ever Africa Cup of Nations for Senegal in early 2022, Mane was ultimately forced to sit out the World Cup after sustaining a fibula injury on November 8, 13 days before the Teranga Lions were due to kick off their campaign against the Netherlands.
As well as denying Mane the opportunity to challenge himself on the grandest stage of all, the injury also halted his progress at Bayern Munich since signing from Liverpool in a £35 million deal. Mane already had a hand in nine Bundesliga goals in 14 league outings before his injury, while also averaging a goal every other game in the Champions League.
He made his Bundesliga comeback with a 25-minute cameo against Union Berlin on Sunday, entering from the bench as a replacement for in-form Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting — who had scored Bayern’s opener with a fine header. Choupo-Moting has now scored in back-to-back league games — taking his tally to nine in 16.
Mane could have even had an assist himself, only for Thomas Muller to spurn a decent opportunity presented to him by the West African only minutes after his return to action.
Bayern’s 3-0 win that keeps them atop the Bundesliga — level with Borussia Dortmund — and Mane will now be setting his sights on ending a testing year with silverware both domestically and on the continent.
Mane was also the top ranked African player in FIFA’s The Best Men’s Player for 2022, which was announced on Monday evening. The Senegal forward finished the voting sixth in the standing, some way behind eventual winner Lionel Messi, but ahead of his former Liverpool teammate Mohamed Salah, who brought up the rear in the 14-man shortlist.
Nice one!
Another Super Eagle among the goals this weekend was Ligue 1’s Moffi, who was sensational — scoring twice and registering an assist — as Nice defeated Monaco 3-0 away from home in the Riviera Derby.
The 23-year-old, who could potentially lead the line for the Nigeria national side alongside Osimhen, failed to score in his first three league games for Les Aiglons following his January move from FC Lorient, before sparking to life on Sunday.
His influence in the final third secured Nice’s first victory over their fierce local rivals since 2020, their first triumph in the Principality since 2014, and firmly took the club’s record recruit to the heart of his new club’s supporters.
Moffi told L’Equipe: “It wasn’t difficult, this football. Sometimes goals come, sometimes they don’t come, you just have to be patient and wait for the right time. It’s all about timing.”
Nice parted with an initial €2.5m to recruit Moffi on loan, as well as an obligatory €22.5m-buy clause, as well as a €5 million potential add-on. It’s a statement of their ambition as they look to oust some of French football’s traditional heavyweights and break back into the continental qualifying berths.
Moffi is a proven quality in Ligue 1, having scored 34 goals since moving to Les Merlus from Kortrijk in October 2020, and his double against Monaco puts him up to joint fourth in the league’s scoring charts.
