Canadians in Europe: David scores in Ligue 1 opener
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Jonathan David helped Lille open their season with a win. Plus, Liam Millar and Luca Koleosho starred in the Championship. Here's a look at Canadians in Europe over the weekend.
Jonathan David, Lille - Lille opened up their campaign with a victory at Reims, but the three points were secondary to worries over the health of midfielder Angel Gomes. Les Dogues should have been up in the seventh. Tiago Santos broke free down the right and sent in a beautiful ball to the front of goal for Mohamed Bayo, who somehow managed to direct his effort wide of goal. Bayo appeared to be baffled as how he didn't open the scoring. The match was turned on its ear in the 11th minute. Reims midfielder Amadou Koné rashly threw himself airborne to meet the ball, but managed to clatter into Gomes before doing so. Gomes immediately went to ground and the match was stopped with both teams and the officials frantically asking for medical assistance. Gomes remained down on the pitch for more than a half-hour before he was stretchered off. Koné was eventually shown a straight red. The Manchester United academy product was hospitalized, but returned home on Sunday. "Just a message to let everyone know that I'm all good!," Gomes wrote on Instagram. "The support has been overwhelming and I just thank God everything is okay, love and blessings! P.S. Remind me not to jump for no more headers!" Lille president Olivier Letang said on Sunday that all of Gomes's test results were "reassuring." The match would eventually resume with 34 minutes of stoppage time added on. With the numerical advantage, LOSC would grab the lead in the 30th minute of stoppage. From a corner, there were shouts of handball from the visitors, but they would be moot because the ball fell to Bafodé Diakité to poke home and make it 1-0. Diakité celebrated the goal by holding up Gomes's jersey to the pitchside camera. The visitors took the lead into the half and introduced David from the bench to start the second 45, coming on for Bayo. Even on 10 men, Reims did well to frustrate LOSC at every turn and even managed some forays forward themselves. David would put the game to rest in second-half stoppage. After Santos did well to keep the ball from going out, the ball ping-ponged around the box until it found David at the goalmouth to poke home with his left foot. The goal was David's 72nd Ligue 1 marker and his second goal of the season across all competitions. Les Dogues held on for a 2-0 win.
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Liam Millar, Hull City - Liam Millar showed Hull City exactly what they were hoping for when they signed him on Saturday at Plymouth Argyle. The Toronto-born winger joined the club from Basel on August 9th and signed a three-year deal with the Tigers. It was a return to the Championship for Millar, who had spent last season on loan at Preston North End. Millar was handed the No. 7 shirt by the Tigers and started against the Wayne Rooney-managed side. After a mostly uneventful first half, it was the hosts who opened the scoring only seven minutes after the restart. The goal asked questions about the Tigers' backline. With his back to goal, the ball fell to Ibrahim Cissoko, who turned and fired far too easily to make it 1-0 in the 52nd. The lead wouldn't last long, though. Hull broke forward through Lewie Coyle only minutes later. Coyle found Millar at the edge of the area on the right. Cutting inside, Millar teed up for Coyle who hammered a shot off of the far post and in to pull the Tigers level at 1-1. The match would finish on that scoreline. Millar finished his afternoon in the 89th, coming off for Tyrell Sellars-Fleming. Millar completed 21 of 30 pass attempts, made one tackle and one interception and had three shots on target in his first match in a Tigers kit.
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Luca Koleosho, Burnley - Whether or not Luca Koleosho ever suits up in a Canada shirt remains to be seen. Born in Norfolk, VA and eligible to play for Canada through his mother, the 19-year-old winger has not been capped at the senior level. He is also eligible to play for his native US, Italy and Nigeria. Last year, Koleosho appeared in a match for the Azzurri's Under-23 side. Until he makes that decision, Koleosho will continue to ply his trade for Burnley with the Clarets back in the Championship following relegation from the Premier League. In 15 appearances for Burnley last season, Koleosho scored once in the Premier League. He matched that total on Saturday in a rout of Cardiff City at Turf Moor. Things started auspiciously for the visitors in the ninth with one of the worst own goals of the early season. Under pressure from Jay Rodriguez, Dimitris Goutas sent a ball back to Ethan Horvath. The United States keeper was far too casual with his reception as the ball skipped off of his foot and rolled across the line to make it 1-0 for an embarrassing opener. Koleosho made it 2-0 in the 31st. Rodriguez beat Goutas down the left and took the ball to the byline. He set up Josh Brownhill near the goalmouth, but his effort was deflected. It fell for Koleosho, who hammered home to make it 2-0. The Clarets would continue their domination in the second half with goals from Brownhill, Zeki Amdouni and Johann Berg Gudmundsson to claim a 5-0 victory. Koleosho's afternoon ended in the 84th when he made way for Andreas Hountondji. He finished his match having completed 19 of 24 passes, making a pair of tackles and carrying the ball 24 times.