It has been a challenging 2025/2026 UEFA Women’s Champions League (UWCL) campaign for Nigerian players, as AS Roma, Benfica and PSG all exited the league phase following heavy defeats, www.aclsports.com reports.
Shukurat Oladipo and Rinsola Babajide started on Wednesday as AS Roma suffered a 6–0 away defeat to Chelsea. The Italian side’s hopes were dealt an early blow when Valentina Bergamaschi scored an own goal in the 13th minute, before Chelsea added two more to take a commanding 3–0 lead by half-time. Three further strikes after the break sealed Roma’s fate, confirming a disappointing league phase campaign.
Roma had earlier lost to Real Madrid, Barcelona and Valerenga, with their only point coming from a draw against OH Leuven on Matchday 4. The Italian side now sits 17th on the table, having scored just three goals while conceding 18. The team will look to end their campaign on a more positive note when they face St. Polten in their final match.
Over in Spain, Christy Ucheibe featured for Benfica in a 3–1 defeat to Barcelona. The Super Falcons player started in defence and was unfortunate to score an own goal in the second half, putting Barcelona 2–1 ahead after Chandra Davidson had equalised following Ewa Pajor’s first-half opener. Alexia Putellas added a third for the Spanish champions, while missing a penalty opportunity to add a fourth for Barcelona.
The loss confirms the early exit of the Portuguese champions from this season’s Champions League. Benfica have just one point, sitting 15th in the standings. Ucheibe will face her national teammate Jennifer Echegini in Benfica’s final group game against PSG, providing one last opportunity to end the campaign on a high.
PSG are also eliminated, occupying 16th place with just a single point from five games. Their only point came from a 0–0 draw at home against OH Leuven at Parc des Princes. The French side suffered defeats to Wolfsburg, Manchester United, Bayern Munich and Barcelona. Jennifer Echegini played the full 90 minutes in the goalless draw on Tuesday, while Super Falcons captain Rasheedat Ajibade remains sidelined with an injury sustained against Bayern Munich, missing three games so far for the French side.
The exit of all three clubs marks a disappointing end to the UWCL for Nigerian players in Europe. They will look to regroup and focus on domestic competitions.
