Manchester City forward Iliman Ndiaye returned for Senegal after serving a two-match ban and marked the occasion with the winning goal in their 1-0 defeat of Comoros on Sunday.
Back at his old stomping ground, Stade Velodrome, the 26-year-old made sure his first homecoming in Marseille since leaving in 2024 was a memorable one.
Having missed their earlier AFCON qualifying fixtures against Mozambique and Ethiopia, Ndiaye returned to the Senegalese XI as head coach Patrick Vieira named a highly rotated side for the friendly game against Comoros on Sunday.
Iliman Ndiaye finishes a splendid team move by Senegal
It took Ndiaye, who joined Manchester City from Everton this summer, just five minutes to make his presence felt as the forward coolly finished a lovely team move from the Lions of Teranga for his sixth international goal.
Pape Mate Sarr raced forward to ignite an attacking move and drew Comoros players towards him before hooking the ball out on the left for Ibrahim Mbaye, who neatly picked Ndiaye's run and the winger slotted into an empty net for 1-0.
The goal eventually proved enough for him and his team to defeat their East African rivals, but Senegal could have easily won by a bigger margin given their lion's share of possession, although they failed to turn it into meaningful goalscoring opportunities.
Ndiaye came in with a chance to add to his goal tally for the evening in the 66th minute when Bara Sapoko Ndiaye found him unmarked inside the box with an inviting cross, but the former couldn't control it properly enough to capitalize.
Since completing a hefty £60 million transfer to City from Everton, Ndiaye has struggled to make a direct impact for the Sky Blues. He runs, links up well, and gets himself into good positions, but a meaningful attacking output has been lacking, with Ndiaye registering just one assist in seven appearances before the international break.
However, his match-winner against Comoros could be the springboard he needed to unlock his offensive potential. Mind you, Ndiaye has never been a prolific scorer - his best figures in a single club season have been the 15 he struck with Sheffield United in 2022-23 - but he demonstrated how effective he could be when he finds the space to run into.
As Manchester City now gears up for a nine-game marathon in a space of just 27 days, Enzo Maresca would need his attacking stars fit and firing to navigate through it successfully, including Iliman Ndiaye.
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