Former African footballer of the Year Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang needed just 58 seconds to score twice for Borussia Dortmund at the weekend in a 5-0 Bundesliga rout of Cologne.
The 28-year-old striker shunned Gabon recently, refusing to play in back-to-back 2018 World Cup qualifiers against the Ivory Coast.
Egyptian Mohamed Salah scored his fifth goal in all competitions for Liverpool since a mid-year move from Roma to salvage a 1-1 English Premier League draw against Burnley.
ENGLAND
MOHAMED SALAH (Liverpool)
His club’s defence may be unreliable, but the Egypt winger is proving one of the club’s star performers this season since his move from AS Roma.
He equalised in a 1-1 draw against Burnley after another defensive lapse allowed the visitors take the lead.
ERIC BAILLY (Manchester United)
The young Ivorian gave a more solid defensive display in the 4-0 drubbing of Everton than the previous weekend in a draw at Stoke.
He inspires more confidence than fellow centre-back Phil Jones and appears to be becoming the marshal of the rearguard, regularly urging his fellow defenders into position or to push forward.
CHRISTIAN ATSU (Newcastle)
The Ghana winger voted the outstanding player of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations gave the “Magpies” the lead en route to a 2-1 home victory over Stoke.
A flowing move culminated in Atsu finishing off a cross at the far post.
SPAIN
CEDRIC BAKAMBU (Villarreal)
The Democratic Republic of Congo striker struck his first two La Liga goals of the season as Villarreal eased to a 3-0 win at Alaves. Fresh from opening his account for the campaign against Astana in the Europa League last Thursday, Bakambu’s opener had a touch of fortune as his long-range effort took a wicked deflection.
However, his second was a classy finish from a narrow angle.
Cedric Bakambu
THOMAS PARTEY (Atletico Madrid)
Partey’s extended run in the Atletico side continued as he started their first match at the new Wanda Metropolitano stadium.
However, the Ghanaian lasted just 45 minutes before being substituted as Atletico went on to baptise their new home with a 1-0 win over Malaga.
Thomas Partey
ITALY
FRANCK KESSIE (AC Milan)
Ivorian midfielder Kessie, on loan from Atalanta since the close season, put in another solid performance after scoring on his debut, with a pivotal role in a 2-1 win at Udinese.
This time he failed to finish off three attempts at goal in the San Siro.
GERMANY
IHLAS BEBOU (Hanover 96)
The Togo striker scored his first goal for Hanover, since switching from Fortuna Duesseldorf, in a 2-0 win at Hamburg which helped put his side top of the Bundesliga table for the first time in 48 years.
The 23-year-old tapped home from close range seven minutes from time.
Ihlas Bebou
LAMINE SANE (Werder Bremen)
The burly Senegal centre-back gave Bremen an early lead in their 2-1 defeat at home to Schalke 04.
From a corner, Sane profited from confusion in the Schalke defence to fire home from 10 metres on 20 minutes.
PIERRE-EMERICK AUBAMEYANG (Borussia Dortmund)
The Gabon hot-shot has four goals in as many league games after netting twice in 58 seconds in Borussia Dortmund’s 5-0 thrashing of Cologne.
After converting a penalty, Aubameyang followed up with a simple tap which left last season’s top scorer in Germany just one goal behind rival Robert Lewandowski of Bayern Munich.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
FRANCE
CLINTON NJIE (Marseille)
Njie scored both goals in Marseille’s 2-0 win at Amiens to pull the ambitious American-owned club out of an early season slump.
The 2017 Africa Cup of Nations winner with Cameroon had a massive slice of luck for his first when a deflected cross hit him in the midriff and bounced into the goal with the ‘keeper wrong-footed.
The 24-year-old former Tottenham Hotspur man then doubled the tally two minutes later to take his tally for the season to five.
Clinton Njie (C)