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.
The Iranian women’s soccer team crossed the Turkish border into Iran on Wednesday to complete a fraught return journey from Australia, after five members withdrew asylum claims they had lodged there.
Australia had granted humanitarian visas to six players and one support staff member after they sought asylum, saying they feared possible persecution if they returned to Iran.
Concerns over their safety surfaced when several players failed to sing the national anthem at a women’s Asian Cup match earlier this month after the United States and Israel launched the war against Iran. Iranian state television had labelled them “wartime traitors”.
The team, which flew into Istanbul on Tuesday, took a flight to Igdir in eastern Turkey on Wednesday morning.
The players emerged from Igdir Airport, pulling their luggage and chatted in front of the terminal before boarding a bus to the border. One of them briefly smiled and waved at a TV camera before the bus departed. After a trip of around two hours to the frontier, they went through passport control at the Gurbulak border gate before crossing over into Iran.
A bus carrying members of the Iranian women’s national soccer team arrives at the Gurbulak Border Gate, a crossing point between Turkey and Iran, as they travel to their home country after five players withdrew the asylum claims they had lodged in Australia over safety concerns about returning due to not singing the national anthem at a women’s Asian Cup match earlier this month, in the eastern Agri province, Turkey, March 18, 2026. REUTERS/Ali Ihsan Ozturk
The team’s Asian Cup campaign began just as the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. They were eliminated from the tournament more than a week ago.
Five of those who had sought asylum in Australia subsequently changed their minds and decided to return home, with Australian media reporting the latest withdrawal on Monday.
They rejoined the rest of the squad in Kuala Lumpur, where the team had been staying since leaving Sydney last week.
The Iranian Football Association (FFIRI) said last week that those who had changed their minds would travel home with the rest of the team “to once again be embraced by their families and homeland.”
Two players are still in Australia and have been pictured training with a local A-League club.
-Reuters
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The two players from the Iranian women’s soccer squad who chose to remain in Australia after seeking asylum have been pictured training with a local A-League club as they begin their new lives in the country.
Midfielder Fatemeh Pasandideh and defender Atefeh Ramezanizadeh were among seven members of Iran’s delegation granted humanitarian visas amid fears of possible persecution if they returned home after competing in the women’s Asian Cup in Australia.
Concerns over their safety emerged after the players failed to sing their national anthem before their opening match on the Gold Coast in the state of Queensland. Iranian state media labelled them as “wartime traitors”, with the team’s campaign beginning as the U.S. and Israel launched air strikes on Iran.
Five members of the group, however, subsequently changed their minds about Australia’s asylum offer and decided to return home.
Queensland-based A-League club Brisbane Roar announced on social media the remaining two players, Pasandideh and Ramezanizadeh, had joined a training session with its women’s team on Monday.
“Brisbane Roar officially welcomed both Fatemeh Pasandideh and Atefeh Ramezanizadeh to the club’s training facilities…and remain committed to providing a supportive environment for them whilst they navigate the next stages,” CEO Kaz Patafta said.
Photos posted by the club showed the two players meeting the Brisbane Roar squad and taking part in shooting drills.
“Thank you for everything,” wrote Ramezanizadeh, 33, under the post on Instagram.
Pasandideh, 21, also posted on her Instagram story on Monday a photo with FIFA Chief Football Officer Jill Ellis in Brisbane with a caption saying “everything will be fine”.
While the pair began their new lives in Australia, their former teammates made their way home to Iran from Malaysia.
The team was seen at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Monday evening, checking in on an Oman Air flight, although their destination was unclear.
-Reuters
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WOMEN'S FOOTBALL
Three Iranian women soccer players to return home after seeking asylum in Australia
Three members of the Iranian women’s soccer team who had sought asylum in Australia have decided to return to Iran, Australia’s government said on Sunday.
Australia granted humanitarian visas to seven Iranian footballers last week after they sought asylum, saying they feared persecution if they returned home after they failed to sing the national anthem at a Women’s Asian Cup match.
Four of the seven members have decided to leave Australia so far. Another member changed her mind last week.
“After telling Australian officials they had made this decision, the players were given repeated chances to talk about their options,” Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said in a statement.
“While the Australian Government can ensure that opportunities are provided and communicated, we cannot remove the context in which the players are making these incredibly difficult decisions,” he added.
The Iranian Football Association (FFIRI) named the players as Mona Hamoudi, Zahra Sarbali and Zahra Meshkehkar.
“After arriving in Malaysia and joining the rest of Iran’s women’s national football team, the three players will travel to Tehran in the coming days to once again be embraced by their families and homeland,” FFIRI added in a statement.
The Iranian team’s campaign in the Asian Cup started just as the U.S. and Israel launched air strikes on Iran, killing the Islamic Republic’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. They were eliminated from the tournament last Sunday.
-Reuters
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