One of the top goal contributors in Liga Portugal 2022-23 is Yusupha Njie, who plays for Boavista as a centre-forward. The Gambia international has donned the Boavista colours since 2017 and has turned into an important asset for the team. The 29-year-old is experiencing his best campaign in Liga Portugal, having scored nine goals and ranking fourth in the scoring charts. Boavista is currently ranked eighth in the standings, and the striker’s goals have helped the team secure some important results against other teams that are also vying for a top-half finish in Liga Portugal 2022-23. Below are some stats from the current season to access his contributions towards his team.
2022-23 season with Boavista
Yusupha Njie has made 16 league appearances this season, starting 13 matches. A 6-foot-2 centre-forward, he comes with physicality and a vertical advantage. Besides his clinical nature in front of the goal, he can link up play with his sound passing and ability to hold the ball up the pitch. The above viz shows the percentile rank of the player’s stats compared to other centre-forwards in Liga Portugal. His attacking prowess is highlighted by his high rank for indicators like expected goal contributions, shots, and dribbles. Meanwhile, he has an above-average rank in the passing department and also does well in terms of winning defensive duels and contesting aerial duels.
The striker has scored nine goals out of the 24 netted by his side, with one coming from the penalty spot. He has taken 41 shots thus far and accumulated a total of 5.65 xG. Njie averages 2.91 shots per 90 minutes in Liga Portugal, with an accuracy rate of 43.2%. The shot map shows that most of the attempts came from the centre of the penalty box, including two from inside the six-yard box. Njie’s tall figure also allows him to contest aerial duels, particularly inside the opposition box. He averages as many as 8.2 aerial duels with a 25.8% success rate.
2021/22 season with Boavista
Last season, Yusupha Njie made 27 league appearances and started 17 matches. He took 33 shots in total at 0.13 xG per shot and scored five goals as Boavista finished the season in the 12th spot. He averaged 1.73 shots per match and had an accuracy rate of 42.4%. The pizza chart above provides an overview of his performances last season. He was contributing more in the build-up phase, as highlighted by a better rank in terms of dribbles per 90 and some of the passing indicators. This season, he possesses much-improved stats in the attacking department, and his goal contributions have helped Boavista retain a spot in the top half.
Key performances this season 
The two visuals above showcase the xG map of the Gambian striker from the matches against Portimonense and Benfica. Njie gave his best performance of the season by scoring a brace in a 4-2 win against Portimonense in January. He scored from his two shots on target for an xG of 0.93. Meanwhile, Njie scored his team’s only goal in a 3-1 defeat to league leaders Benfica in the most recent fixture. He could only manage two attempts with 0.38 xG but kept both of them on target. The experienced forward gets a limited amount of shots on goal playing for Boavista, but he converts these chances with great accuracy.
Progressive gameplay
In addition to his goal-scoring prowess, the 29-year-old is good with the ball at his feet. He drops into midfield to play short passes and link play, while his ability to hold onto the ball is essential for his team to progress forward. Njie attempts around 17 passes per match with an accuracy rate of 80%. Additionally, he makes nearly three progressive passes and nearly five back passes per match. He has also delivered one assist this season and averages 0.6 shot assists per 90 minutes.
Another strong aspect of Yusupha Njie’s gameplay as a mobile forward is his ability to perform dribbles and progressive runs. According to the visualisation above, the striker attempts the majority of the dribbles in the final third and executes these actions with great success near the penalty box. He also tries a few dribbles inside his half to beat opposing lines and break forward, as well as some progressive runs towards the opposition box. Currently, Njie averages 2.45 dribbles with a 62.2% success rate and 1.065 progressive runs per match. Additionally, he enjoys 3.04 touches of the ball inside the penalty area per 90 minutes.
Yusupha Njie is on course to set a new personal tally for most goals scored in a season and is proving a significant factor in Boavista’s success this season. He has netted crucial goals for the team, which have helped them remain in the top half until now. It remains to be seen if the team manages to retain a favourable position in Liga Portugal, as the Gambian striker will have to ensure consistency in front of goal for the remainder of the season.
Visuals via Wyscout and TFA data viz engine
