African stars are not only shining on the continent but all over the world too, and one individual rose as a giant among them with his performance on the weekend.
Ihlas Bebou was one of the stars of the show when TSG 1899 Hoffenheim dismantled a struggling, relegated SV Darmstadt 98 side, thrashing them by six goals to nil in their Bundesliga encounter that took place on Sunday. The 30-year-old scored a double and picked up an assist to take his tally in the league this season to seven goals and five assists in 31 appearances. However, he started just 15 of those matches.
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The striker was named in the starting XI for the annihilation of Darmstadt, and manager Pellegrino Matarazzo's decision to do so was rewarded early on in the game. Bebou opened the scoring in the second minute, before finding the back of the net once more in the second half. Speaking after the game, the forward emphasised his team's intention to put their opponents under pressure from the get-go.
"A lot came off today, almost everything, in fact. We're proud of the performance and it was important that we kept a clean sheet. We wanted to apply pressure from the beginning today, which worked," the striker said, per the club's official website.
The Togo international, who looked fresh from the beginning, made a perfectly-timed run before latching on to a long ball, from defender Florian Grillitsch, that floated right over the Darmsatdt defence, allowing the forward to run on to it. After doing so, he calmly rounded the goalkeeper, then rolled the ball into an empty net to give his side the perfect start.
He was also involved in the side's fifth goal of the day, when the former Hannover 96 star showed off his ability to link play receiving the ball in the midfield. With his back towards goal, he turned and picked out a wonderful through-ball, finding Maximilian Beier who had made an intelligent run in behind before putting the chance away.
The score was already 5-0 when the referee blew to signal half-time. After the teams re-emerged from the break, Bebou secured the side's sixth, this time showcasing his ability to control the ball closely inside the opposing penalty area. He latched on to a loose ball and quickly shifted it on to his left foot – making light work of a defender in the process – and shifted it back on to his right to gobble up the opportunity and secure his third goal involvement of the day.
With just one Bundesliga game remaining, Die Kraichgauer, who are in seventh place on the league table, will be eager to end the season on a positive note. The obstacle they would have to overcome, however, is a Bayern Munich side looking to do the same. Bebou, however, showcased his strong mentality by stating that he and his team are aiming to take all three points.
"We'll need another performance like this against Bayern, then we'll see what happens. It's always difficult against them. But we'll play to win," he said.
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