WOMEN'S FOOTBALL
In-form Super Falcons star, Oshoala leads Barcelona Femeni to third successive final
Five-time Women African Footballer of the Year and Super Falcons forward, Asisat Oshoala, yesterday with Barcelona Femeni edged past Chelsea FC 2-1 on aggregate as the Spanish side reach the tournament’s final for the third consecutive time.
The feat, no doubt asserts the Nigerian star as the first African to play in the prestigious women’s tournament for the third time aside the fact that she was the first African to score in the final match when Barcelona lost 1-4 to Lyon two seasons ago with Oshoala scored the consolatory goal for her team.
But yesterday, it was Caroline Graham Hansen that haunted Chelsea again having scored the lone goal in the first leg at Stamford Bridge last week to give Barcelona a slender lead to the Camp Nou match
But the English side facing a side who had won their last 19 home games in Europe, were equally preared for the night before 70,000 fans and even score four minutes after the home aside scored in the 60th minute.
Chelsea pushed for the winner as they still trailed on aggregate but it never came as Barcelona confirmed their place in the final for a third successive year.
It ends Chelsea’s pursuit of a Treble but they remain firmly in the Women’s Super League title race and will compete with Manchester United for the Women’s FA Cup.
Meanwhile, Barcelona head into the final looking to reclaim the crown they lost to Lyon last year. They face the winner of the second semi-final between Arsenal and Wolfsburg, which is finely poised at 2-2 following the first leg.
Chelsea travelled to Barcelona knowing they had to produce arguably the greatest performance in their history to overturn the first-leg deficit.
The atmosphere before kick-off was carnival-like, with Barcelona fans draped in the club’s colours waiting to greet the team bus and chant the name of returning Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas, who was named on the bench for the first time in 10 months following a serious knee injury.
With the a hostile crowd an intimidating backdrop, Chelsea’s gameplan was clear: they wanted to frustrate Barcelona, keep them at bay and stay in the game for as long as possible – and they did it well initially.
Barcelona could not manage a shot on target in the first half, although they squandered several chances.
Mariona Caldentey was teed up by Graham Hansen but fired over while Aitana Bonmati’s teasing cross almost crept under the bar before goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger clawed it off the line.
Oshoala misfired on a few occasions, while Graham Hansen – the goalscorer at Stamford Bridge in the first leg – was a constant terror.
But despite defending well for more than an hour, Chelsea were always going to have to take risks and that meant they were vulnerable to counter-attacks.
Bonmati, who pulled the strings for Barcelona in midfield, waited for the perfect opportunity to slip in Graham Hansen and when that break eventually came the Norwegian made no mistake.
Chelsea’s response was immediate, Reiten finishing off a well-worked ball over the top to Kerr but it was not enough to knock formidable opponents off balance.
The hosts kept causing problems until the final minute and Chelsea could not muster another chance as their Champions League dream slipped away for another year.
Nigeria’s Falconets will discover their opponents for the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup when the official draw is conducted in Łódź, Poland, on May 15, as preparations intensify for another campaign on the global stage.
The draw ceremony, confirmed by football’s world governing body, FIFA, will take place in one of the tournament’s host cities and will be broadcast live worldwide on FIFA+, YouTube and TikTok.
Nigeria, one of the most successful nations in the history of the competition, heads into the draw with renewed ambition after securing qualification for the tournament, which will run from September 5 to 27 across the Polish cities of Bielsko-Biała, Katowice, Łódź and Sosnowiec.
The Falconets remain one of Africa’s strongest representatives at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, having reached the final twice in the competition’s history. The Nigerian side will now await the outcome of the draw to know their group-stage opponents among the 24 qualified teams expected to battle for the title.
Former Polish international and current women’s national team coach Nina Patalon and French football legend Laura Georges will participate in the ceremony, underscoring the growing profile of women’s football globally.
Speaking ahead of the event, Patalon described the draw as a defining moment for both participating teams and supporters.
“The draw always brings a special sense of excitement, as it is the moment when the competition truly starts to feel real for both the teams and the fans,” she said.
She also highlighted the importance of hosting the tournament in Poland, noting that it could inspire more young girls to embrace football and further accelerate the development of the women’s game in the country.
The 12th edition of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup is expected to showcase some of the brightest emerging talents in women’s football, with Nigeria’s Falconets aiming to make another strong impression on the world stage
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Alongside the USA and Brazil, Nigeria will head to Poland as one of only three nations to have appeared at every edition of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.
As of Saturday night, only Nigeria and Nigeria women’s national under-20 football team and Ghana women’s national under-20 football team have secured qualification for the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland after overcoming Malawi and Uganda, respectively, in the final round of African qualifiers.
Nigeria maintained their remarkable record of appearing at every edition of the global tournament, joining the United States and Brazil as the only nations to achieve the feat.
The Falconets were pushed to the limit by Malawi in Lilongwe after carrying a 2-0 advantage from the first leg in Ikenne. Malawi made a dream start when Faith Chinzimu scored from a set-piece in the eighth minute to ignite hopes of a comeback.
Nigeria struggled to reproduce the dominance they displayed at home, and the tie swung dramatically in the hosts’ favour in the 57th minute when Chinzimu completed her brace after breaking down the left flank before calmly finishing past the Nigerian goalkeeper.
At 2-0 on the day, the aggregate score was level, and the Falconets were suddenly under severe pressure. However, Malawi captain Leticia Chinyamula made a costly error that allowed substitute Oscar Precious to seize possession, drive into the penalty area and fire home the decisive goal for Nigeria.
The strike restored Nigeria’s aggregate lead and effectively ended Malawi’s hopes, as the Falconets held on to secure passage to Poland despite the 2-1 defeat on the day.
Coach Moses Aduku’s side will now prepare for another appearance at the world finals, where Nigeria remain one of the competition’s most consistent teams.
Ghana also survived a tense encounter to qualify for their eighth consecutive FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.
The Black Princesses travelled to Kampala holding a narrow 2-1 first-leg advantage over Uganda. Still, the hosts drew level on aggregate through a moment of brilliance from Sylvia Kabene, whose powerful strike from the left wing flew into the top corner beyond goalkeeper Belinda Maku.
Combined with Agnes Nabukenya’s away goal in the first leg, Uganda briefly looked set to progress.
But Ghana responded strongly after the break despite being reduced to 10 players. Captain Linda Owusu Ansah proved the hero, curling a superb set-piece from near the corner flag directly into the far top corner to send the Black Princesses through.
While Nigeria will continue their ever-present run at the tournament, Ghana will be hoping to advance beyond the group stage for the first time in their history when the competition kicks off in September.
The remaining African qualification spots will be decided on Sunday when Tanzania face Cameroon, and Benin take on Côte d’Ivoire in the final return-leg matches.
The FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Poland 2026 will take place from September 5 to 27 across four host cities
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Nigeria’s U-20 girls, the Falconets, are on the verge of extending their remarkable record of appearing at every edition of the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup since the competition began in 2002.
The Falconets will face Malawi on Saturday at the Bingu National Stadium in the second leg of the final qualifying round for the Poland 2026 tournament, carrying a 2-0 advantage from the first leg played in Ikenne-Remo last weekend.
Nigeria have featured at every edition of the competition, beginning with the inaugural tournament in Canada in 2002 when it was still a U-19 championship. The Falconets also competed in Thailand 2004 before the tournament was upgraded to the U-20 level ahead of the 2006 finals in Russia.
Since then, the Nigerian girls have remained ever-present at the global championship, appearing in Chile 2008, Germany 2010, Japan 2012, Canada 2014, Papua New Guinea 2016, France 2018, Costa Rica 2022 and Colombia 2024.
The Falconets’ best performances came when they finished runners-up at Germany 2010 and Canada 2014, while they reached the semi-finals in Japan 2012.
Head coach Moses Aduku expressed confidence ahead of Saturday’s decisive clash.
“We are here to play and to win. The players understand the importance of this match, and we are fully prepared mentally, tactically, and physically for the challenge ahead,” Aduku said during Friday’s pre-match press conference.
Nigeria swept past Rwanda and Senegal in earlier qualifying rounds and are now aiming to complete the job against Malawi to seal another World Cup appearance.
Kick-off for Saturday’s encounter is scheduled for 3:00 pm Malawi time (2:00 pm Nigeria time).
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