Africans in Europe: Diabate on the hat-trick as GAIS shock Agnero’s Halmstads

Ivory Coast players, Ibrahim Yalatif Diabate and Yannick Agnero, lit the clash between GAIS and Halmstads BK in the Swedish Allsvenskan league on Wednesday evening.

GAIS, who visited Halmstads for a week nine fixture of the season, showed grit and purpose to run back home with all three points.

Former Ivory Coast youth international, Yannick Agnero, fired Halmstads ahead at the Orjans Vall with just 21 minutes played. After a smart run into the GAIS penalty area, the 22-year-old latched on to a well-laid pass from Ghana’s Naeem Mohammed to sweep the ball past the opponent’s goalkeeper, Mergim Krasniqi.

The visitors, however, recovered from the early scare to draw level six minutes from the boot of Ibrahim Diabate. The 25-year-old headed home the equaliser from close range after Joackim Aberg’s lob struck the crossbar and fell his way. Both clubs could not find the back of the net with the score standing at 1-1 heading into the halftime break.

The second half brought more life out of GAIS, who punished the home side early in the department when Rasmus Niklasson Petrovic’s long-range pass located Diabate in the penalty area, who rounded up goalkeeper Tim Erlandsson for their second goal in the 48th minute.

With nine minutes to end the proceedings, Robin Frej sent a pinpoint long pass from GAIS’s own half, with Diabate pouncing on the ball to slot home the third goal of the game.

Diabate has now scored six goals in nine league matches with just an assist and Yannick Agnero increased his season’s tally to five from nine matches despite his goal failing to win the day for Halmastads.

GAIS currently occupy 11th on the league table with 11 points, with Halmstads in 13th place with 10 points after nine games into the season.