African stars are not only shining on the continent but all over the world too, and one Ghanaian individual rose as a giant among them with his performance on the weekend.
Mohammed Kudus proved an instrumental figure in West Ham United's 3-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers in their latest Premier League fixture, with the victory seeing the Hammers edge closer to overtaking Manchester United, who are currently in seventh place on the EPL table.
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Along with teammate Lucas Paqueta, Kudus ran the show, scoring his first goal of the day in the 23rd minute before netting another in the 32nd.
His first strike began from a Wolves corner that the scrambling Hammers managed to get out of their box, before the loose ball was gathered neatly by Brazilian playmaker Paqueta, who set off and found a Kudus on the run with a beautiful pass. The Ghanaian then carried the ball to just outside the opposition box and had two players making runs ahead of him. He, however, did not need their assistance as he cut it on to his left foot to shoot and find the back of the net.
His second goal came just over 10 minutes later, when another one of his runs was found by his Paqueta, doing the same thing from a similar position on the second occasion. Kudus received the ball in his stride, took a few touches to get himself into the box with a defender closing in and slotted the ball home with his right foot.
His two goals showed viewers a few things. It displayed the sensational connection he and Paqueta are developing, which would certainly excite the bubble-blowing Hammers supporters, the Ghana international's athleticism, his eye for goal, and his ability to use both feet when placed in front of the opposition net.
His post-match revelation regarding those two goals is quite interesting, too, because he highlighted how, before the game, situations where he would be in front of a goalkeeper with the opportunity to score were already in the back of his mind. The fact that he is confident of getting into those threatening positions before a game even kicks off is a testimony to his confidence and his mentality, traits that are vital for a player to succeed at the highest level of the game.
"[For the first goal,] normally when you come in with your left foot, the keeper is looking at the other corner, so I went for the near corner. It went in, it was a good goal and I'm happy," Kudus told his club's official website.
"Before the game I had the information from the technical team that when I come inside, I should shoot for the near corner because he's more expecting the balls on the other corner.
"It was in the back of my head, so when [the chance came] it was a natural flow."
He also touched on his connection with Paqueta, and highlighted that he knows his runs will be rewarded because of the Brazilian's vision and his excellent range of passing.
"[For the second goal,] you know the vision Lucas has with those kind of passes. As soon as we win the ball and it's him, I just get running!
"I know the ball will come. I was just one-v-one against the keeper and I did my thing."
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The 23-year-old not only showed his prowess as a goalscorer, but also proved to be a headache for the Wanderers in other key attacking areas, with two touches in the opposition box, five out of seven successful dribbles, five passes into the final third and one chance created. His defensive contributions were not too shabby either, amassing four defensive actions and winning more than 50% of the duels he was involved in.
With five goals and one assist in 14 EPL games so far this season, Kudus will be hoping his outstanding performance over the weekend will be the catalyst that ignites even more top-class performances as the campaign progresses.
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