Martins becomes an instant Blues legend

On-loan Obafemi Martins etched his place in Birmingham City folklore by scoring the last-minute winner in a shock 2-1 English League Cup final triumph over Arsenal at the weekend.

A defensive mix-up by the Gunners left the recent Nigerian arrival from Russian club Rubin Kazan with the simple task of tapping the ball into the net and creating one of the biggest upsets in recent English football history.

Cameroon superstar Samuel Eto'o resumed normal service in Italy with a goal for Inter Milan and Ghana midfielder Andre Ayew grabbed a brace as champions Marseille won at Nancy to stay in the hunt for another French Ligue 1 title.

ENGLAND

OBAFEMI MARTINS (Birmingham)

Martins was the hero as he came on as a late substitute in the League Cup final and scored the last-minute tap-in at Wembley that stunned Arsenal and gave Birmingham their first major trophy since 1963.

Martins has been at Birmingham for only one month and yet he is already guaranteed to be remembered as a Blues legend after the Nigerian punished a disastrous error by Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny to seal a shock 2-1 victory.

After celebrating with an extravagant back-flipping somersault, Martins almost scored again, but his 90th-minute strike was enough to secure Birmingham's first significant silverware since they last won this trophy nearly 50 years ago.

DEMBA BA (West Ham)

The Senegalese striker continued his fine form for new club West Ham following his recent brace against West Brom with a fine header from Gary O'Neil's cross in a 3-1 victory over Liverpool which ensured his side move off the bottom of the Premier League table.

CHEIK TIOTE (Newcastle)

The Ivorian defensive midfielder rescued an overhit corner to set up the cross which allowed Newcastle captain Kevin Nolan to head in the opening goal in a 1-1 draw against Bolton which settled his side and kept them in the hunt for a Europa League spot.

FRANCE

ANDRE AYEW (Marseille)

A double from the Ghanaian midfielder handed Marseille a 2-1 success over Nancy which keeps the champions in the running for the Ligue 1 title. Ayew equalised just before the break and netted the winner four minutes from time following an error by Nancy goalkeeper Damien Gregorini to ensure the visitors stay third.

MOUSSA SOW (Lille)

The Senegalese striker extended his lead as the top scorer in France when he opened for Lille after nine minutes in their 1-1 draw against Lyon. His 17th goal of the season put him two ahead of Lorient's Kevin Gameiro.

RAZAK BOUKARI (Rennes)

Rennes' newly-signed France-born Togolese striker Razak Boukari helped the Brittany side to a 2-0 win over Lens. Boukari set the hosts on their way after 14 minutes with a superb strike from 25 metres, with Victor Hugo Montano getting the second after 70 minutes to ensure the club are equal on points with leaders Lille.

KAFUMBA COULIBALY (Nice)

The Ivorian international midfielder scored the opening goal after 55 minutes to put struggling Nice on their way to a precious 2-0 success, after two consecutive losses, over Saint Etienne.

YOUSSEF EL ARABI (Caen)

France-born Moroccan Youssef El Arabi scored his 12th goal of the season for Caen to get the Normandy side back into the tie after they trailed by two goals at Monaco. He was also involved in the controversial equaliser by teammate Yohan Mollo which resulted in a 2-2 draw, but missed a chance to net the winner late in the game.

LARSEN TOURE (Brest)

The Guinean striker earned the equalier for Brittany club Brest which ensured a 1-1 draw and avoided an embarrassing defeat against tailenders Arles-Avignon.

GERMANY

MOHAMADOU IDRISSOU (Moenchengladbach)

The Cameroon striker may need throat surgery to remove an abscess. The 30-year-old, who has won 34 caps, came off after an hour of his team's 2-1 defeat to Wolfsburg and club doctors are waiting to see if he needs an operation. Having scored four goals in 23 games this season, Idrissou is doubtful for Saturday's German league clash with Hoffenheim.

ANTHONY ANNAN (Schalke 04)

Ghana's midfielder played the full 90 minutes of his side's 1-1 draw with Nuremberg which leaves them 10th in the table. Nuremberg were denied their fifth straight win after Schalke's Raul netted his 14th goal of the season for the Royal Blues in Gelsenkirchen.

DIEUDONNE MBOKANI (VfL Wolfsburg)

The Congolese striker played 80 minutes of Wolfsburg's 2-1 win over bottom side Moenchengladbach. Two goals by Brazilian midfielder Diego helped Wolfsburg push themselves further from the Bundesliga drop zone.

ITALY

SAMUEL ETO'O (Inter Milan)

Leading the line alongside Giampaolo Pazzini, the Cameroonian capped another all-action performance with Inter's second goal in the 2-0 win against Sampdoria. Always dangerous with the ball at his feet and capable of getting into scoring positions, Eto'o was guilty of trying to pass the ball into the net on a number of occasions before he struck his 16th goal of the season four minutes into injury time.

HOUSSINE KHARJA (Inter Milan)

After a positive opening period in which the Moroccan midfielder almost opened the scoring for Inter, flashing a header wide, Kharja and his team were forced into more defensive roles as Sampdoria attacked. Eventually, he was substituted for Goran Pandev in the 63rd minute minute.

ABDELKADER GHEZZAL (Bari)

Coming on with just 18 minutes to go and Bari 1-0 down against Fiorentina, the Algerian conjured up a piece of magic to equalise and help his side to a precious point in their battle against relegation. With just three minutes left, Ghezzal picked up the ball outside the box and struck an unstoppable shot into the net with the outside of his foot.

KOJO ASAMOAH (Udinese)

The Ghanaian midfielder played a full part in Udinese's sensational 7-0 thrashing of Palermo. With the score at 3-0, he was hauled back by Armin Bacinovic, who was given a second yellow card and sent off. Asamoah then fired in a 30-yard shot that could not be held, leaving Antonio Di Natale the task of scoring his second goal.

SPAIN

SEYDOU KEITA (Barcelona)

The Mali midfielder has played only a bit part role at Barca this season but when given his chance at the weekend he produced a solid display and was praised by coach Pep Guardiola after a 3-0 win at Mallorca.

CARLOS KAMENI (Espanyol)

Although Espanyol ran out 4-1 winners over Real Sociedad, it was a very different story in the first half when they looked nervous after four straight defeats and needed an assured display by Cameroon goalkeeper Carlos Kameni to keep them in the match with several point-blank saves.