Super Falcons strikers Anam Imo and Asisat Oshoala were both on target for their respective sides as the women’s European football season winds down.
Asisat Oshoala and Barcelona came up against five-time European Champions, Lyon in the UEFA Women’s Champions League (UWCL) final on Saturday with the Nigerian striker starting from the bench in the encounter.
The experienced Lyon side wasted no time scoring the opener with 5mins into the game as the Barcelona defence were all over the place. Current Female Ballon d’Or winner, Ada Hegerberg then scored a hat trick within 15mins to make it 4-0 to Olympique Lyonnais Women after 20mins.
From then on, the Ligue 1 side looked to take things easy as the match was as good as over. Barcelona however had a good chance to pull one goal back on the stroke on half-time but couldn’t make it count.
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In the second period, the Spanish side controlled the game better but kept wasting goalscoring opportunities not until Super Falcons striker Asisat Oshoala came on in the 75th minute.
The Nigerian forward immediately got into the game troubling the Lyon defence on several occasions before she eventually got her goal two minutes from the end of regulation time.
Oshoala was put through on goal with a good pass from and the Nigerian striker powerfully went past her marker, cutting the ball back before slotting it in beyond the Lyon goalkeeper who had no chance.
I would like to appreciate this moment , FIRST EVER NIGERIAN /AFRICAN TO PLAY IN A uefa champions league final GAME , FIRST EVER NIGERIAN /AFRICAN PLAYER TO SCORE IN A uefa CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL GAME, FIRST PLAYER TO score fc Barcelona FIRST uefa champions league final GOAL.🇳🇬🇳🇬 pic.twitter.com/RQknnYNHiM
— ASISAT M.O.N (@AsisatOshoala) May 19, 2019
The goal makes Oshoala not only the first African female player to play in a UWCL final but also the first to score in a UWCL final. The goal also makes it Barcelona and Spain’s first ever UWCL final goal as it was the first time a Spanish team reached the final of the UWCL.
In Sweden, Anam Imo came off the bench to score the second goal in FC Rosengard’s win over Faith Ikidi’s Pitea. The Super Falcons defender played the entire duration of that match as they lost to Rosengard.
In the same vein, Rita Chikwelu’s Kristianstads defeated Eskilstuna United 3-0 to maintain their unbeaten run at home this season as Halimatu Ayinde and Ngozi Okobi were both out of the starting XI.
