Kamaldeen Sulemana returns from injury in Southampton's painful defeat to Leicester City
20th October 2024
Ghanaian forward Kamaldeen Sulemana made his return from injury in Southampton’s heartbreaking 3-2 home defeat to Leicester City in the English Premier League on Saturday evening.
Sulemana had been sidelined with a knee injury since August 2024 and was declared fit to feature in the match by Southampton manager Russell Martin during the pre-match press conference.
Unfortunately, the Ghanaian’s return was overshadowed by Southampton's collapse after initially leading 2-0.
Southampton got off to a strong start, with goals from Cameron Archer and Joe Aribo giving them a two-goal cushion inside 28 minutes.
Archer calmly finished a cross from Ryan Manning to open the scoring, while Aribo converted a similar chance from a Kyle Walker-Peters assist, putting the Saints in control.
However, Leicester City staged a remarkable second-half comeback. Ghanaian winger Abdul Fatawu Issahaku was instrumental after being introduced as a substitute in the 60th minute.
His cross set up Facundo Buonanotte to score, igniting the Foxes' revival. Leicester equalized in the 74th minute after a penalty was awarded following a foul by Ryan Fraser on Jamie Vardy.
Vardy converted the spot-kick, and Fraser was sent off, reducing Southampton to ten men.
In the final moments of the match, Jordan Ayew scored a stoppage-time winner to complete Leicester’s comeback, leaving Southampton fans devastated.
Sulemana, making his long-awaited return, came on in the 78th minute, replacing Tyler Dibling. Despite his efforts, Southampton was unable to find a way back into the game.
The 21-year-old forward has yet to score for Southampton under Russell Martin’s management, with his last goals for the club coming on the final day of the 2022/23 season.
In the previous campaign, he registered three assists in the Championship before his season was disrupted by injury in December.
Sulemana will be hoping to regain full fitness and make a greater impact in Southampton’s upcoming fixtures.