'Unstoppable': Ekoku Hails Salah as Egyptian Becomes First African to Score 50 UCL Goals

Posted : 19 March 2026

Salah reached the historic milestone in the 62nd minute with a signature curling strike into the top corner, completing the scoring on a landmark night at Anfield. The goal came via a powerful shot from outside the penalty area, settling into the right corner past the Galatasaray goalkeeper.

The moment carried even more weight given the context. Salah had missed a first-half penalty, saved by Ugurcan Çakır, before bouncing back with an assist for Hugo Ekitike and then delivering the historic strike after the break. Former Nigeria international Efan Ekoku was commentating live and was quick to recognise the quality of the finish. "He was able to save the penalty but that one is unstoppable; that surely is now game over," Ekoku said.

Salah is now one of only a dozen players in history to net 50 goals in the Champions League proper; 47 of those strikes have come in a Liverpool shirt, with one for AS Roma and two for Basel.

His tally now stands six clear of second-placed Didier Drogba, the Ivorian icon who scored 44 goals in 92 Champions League appearances. Third on the all-African list is Cameroonian Samuel Eto'o with 30 goals in 78 matches, followed by Sadio Mané with 27 in 64 games and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang with 20 in 46. Salah has now left each of those legends well behind.

The Egyptian also reached 200 and 201 goal involvements for Liverpool across all competitions in just 211 appearances, underlining a level of consistency rarely seen at the highest level.

Liverpool's dominant display dismantled Galatasaray 4-0 on the night; Dominik Szoboszlai, Hugo Ekitike, Ryan Gravenberch, and Salah all got on the scoresheet. The result secured a 4-1 aggregate victory and overturned the one-goal first-leg deficit from Istanbul.

Arne Slot's side will now face reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League quarter-finals. It is a tie that will demand Salah at his very best; but on this evidence, he remains capable of producing exactly that on the biggest stage.

For Ekoku, a member of Nigeria's famous 1994 AFCON-winning squad, watching Salah cement his place among Africa's all-time greats was a moment worth celebrating. The Egyptian is not just breaking records; he is redefining what an African player can achieve on Europe's grandest club stage.

'Unstoppable': Ekoku Hails Salah as Egyptian Becomes First African to Score 50 UCL Goals

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