Ahmed Al-Mohamadi and Hull City stayed in touch with the top four as they defeated English giants Nottingham Forest away from home. The game which ended in a 2-1 win for Al-Mohamadi's side saw him play the full game and create plenty of chances for his teammates either by his trademark crosses or by some decent passing. Although none of these crosses or ground passes resulted in direct assists he was still was one the star performers in the game and was a menace to the hosts throughout. The win takes Hull to fifth place level on points with fourth placed team Middlesbrough. Still in England, unfortunately both Ahmed Hossam Mido and Adam Al-Abd were missing from their team's match squad this week due to injuries. Adam Al-Abd's Brighton suffered an expectedly heavy defeat at the hands of the high flying Crystal Palace 3-0 away from home while Mido's Barnsley continued their awful run of form as they lost to Wolves away from home 4-1 in a one sided game. Let's hope Mido and Al-Abd will get back soon to help their struggling teams pick some points. Brighton now lies in eighth place while Barnsley lies in 21st place. In Italy, Ahmed Hegazi showed his coach Montella what he can do as he played a starring role at both ends in his team's win over Juve Stabia in the Italian cup. Fiorentina won the game 2-0 with our young Egyptian star popping up with the second goal from close range after the keeper saved from Luca Toni. And as a defender, Hegazi did his job perfectly as he didn't give the opponents' strikers a sniff of goal. It was an all-round display from the powerful Egyptian who showed he can be as reliable as the coach would like if given the chance. However, in the league Hegazi did not see action as Fiorentina drew 2-2 with Sampdoria at home. The draw means Fiorentina drops to fourth. Off to Switzerland, Mohamed Salah's Basel managed to clinch all three points as they defeated St Gallen by a single goal. Salah started the game on the bench once again but came on in the 61st minute and helped his team score the only goal of the game from the spot eight minutes later. Salah was simply outstanding in his 30-minute cameo as he caused havoc in the final third every time he touched the ball. He showed immense ball control, astonishing speed and plenty of tricks during his time on the pitch and was one of the main reasons Basel managed to leave the pitch with full points. The win means Basel moves up to second place in the table for the first time this season. In Belgium, it was the same old story as poor Lierse suffer yet another defeat, this time at the hands of Mons at home. The game ended in a 3-0 win for the visitors in a fully deserved victory as the home side failed to offer anything worth looking at in the game as they were clearly second best throughout the 90 minutes. Ahmed Said Okka played the full game and didn't look bad but could not prevent any of the three goals. Mohamed Al- Gabbas came on at half time as Lierse chased the game but unfortunately could not find the back of the net. The defeat leaves Lierse in 14th place. In Turkey, Amr Zaki was not included in the match's squad as Elazigspor finally and surprisingly won against Karabukspor 1-0 and away from home. The reason behind Zaki's absence is unknown but Zaki looked tired and out of forme in recent games so maybe the coach decided to change things in the team which came at the expense of Zaki. The win means Elazigspor leaves last place and moves one place up to 17th. In the UAE, Shikabala played a starring role as he lead El Wasl to a 3-1 win over Ittihad Kalba after assisting on two goals out of three in a game in which he showed everything about his game. El Wasl suffered two consecutive defeats prior to this game and needed this win badly. Shika delivered when needed as he played a magnificent game helping his team with two assists, the first coming from a cross that fell to Rashed Issa who finished well while the second came from a superb give-and-take with Alvaro who slotted home to ensure El Wasl left the pitch with all three points. The win takes them to eighth in the league. Mohamed Zidan's Banni Yas managed to defeat El Dhafra 3-1 away from home as they continued their good run of form. Zizou was rested for this game as he took a slight knock in training several days earlier and came on for only the last 10 minutes as it was 2-1 to Zizou's side. Zidan did not get any clear-cut chances but showed some good touches and played some decent passes. The win means Banni Yas stay second in the league after Al Ain. ARAB AND AFRICAN: In England, West Ham's Senegalese star Mohamed Diame scored a screamer as West Ham defeated Chelsea 3-1 at home in a game in which Malian star Maiga scored the third goal to seal the win. Still in England, Sebastian Bassong scored the opening goal of the game as Norwich City defeated Sunderland 2-1 at home. In France, Ivorian star Dja Djedje scored for Evian as they drew 1-1 at home against Nancy. Still in France, Algerian star Fouad Kdir scored the only goal of the game as Valenciennes defeated Reims at home. Senegalese star Soulimane Diawara and Ghanian star Andre Ayew both scored for Marseille as they defeated Brest 2-1 away from home. In Russia, Ivorain star lamina Traore and Moroccan star Mbarak Mbosouffa both scored for Anji as they defeated CSKA Moscow 2-0.
