Uncategorized
Asisat Oshoala: keen to ‘keep raising the African flag’
Nigeria and Barcelona’s Asisat Oshoala says she’s determined to ‘keep raising the African flag’ by winning even more major trophies.
The four-time African Women’s Footballer of the Year sealed a perfect season with Barcelona Femenino on Sunday as they beat Levante in the Spanish Copa de la Reina, to add to the European Women’s Champions League title and Spanish League crown.
And Oshoala says securing the special treble for the first time in the club’s history has made her desperate for more silverware.
“Once is a nice achievement, but it has given me and my teammates a taste of success and we want more of that,” she told BBC Sport.
“You can never limit yourself when you go out there to play professionally, especially outside of the continent because you carry more than your nation on your shoulder.
“To achieve this with Barcelona has shown that we can win a major trophy as a team and as part of this great club, the desire is keep raising the African flag by making more history.”
Two years after becoming the first player from the continent to appear and also score in the final, Oshoala became the first African winner of the European Women’s Champions League two weeks ago.
The Champions League title is just the latest honour in her career as she becomes the continent’s most decorated female footballer in history.
“The hope is for whatever I do to open doors for other Africans because we have talented players in Africa,” she added.
“It’s very important to continue to not only represent my country well but the beautiful continent of Africa very well, too.”
Oshoala won the Confederation of African Football’s (Caf) Women’s Player of the Year award in early 2020 – for a fourth time equalling the record of fellow Nigerian Perpetua Nkwocha.
The maiden BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year winner scored at the 2019 Women’s World Cup to help Nigeria reach the last 16 in France.
She joined the Spanish outfit initially on loan from Chinese champions Dalian Quanjian in January 2019 before signing a permanent deal five months later.
The former FC Robo and Rivers Angels star moved to Quanjian in the Far East in February 2017 from English side Arsenal Ladies with whom she won the Women’s FA Cup at Wembley in May 2016.
She finished as the Chinese Women’s Super League top scorer in 2017 with 12 goals to help her club to the title same year.
Oshoala, who began her European career at Liverpool Ladies, won her third Women’s Africa Cup of Nations with the Super Falcons in Ghana in 2018, scoring three goals as Nigeria lifted the title for a ninth time.
– Oluwashina Okeleji/BBC
By Kunle Solaja, MetLife Stadium, New Jersey
Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez etched his name into FIFA World Cup history on Sunday after becoming only the sixth player ever to be sent off in a World Cup final.
Fernandez was shown a straight red card in the third minute of added time during Argentina’s final against Spain after a reckless challenge on Spanish defender Pau Cubarsí. The dismissal came after the Argentine had earlier been booked for simulation, capping a frustrating evening for the midfielder.
His red card also means Argentina have now produced two players who have been sent off in World Cup finals, more than any other nation.
Sports Village Square recalls that the first-ever red card in a FIFA World Cup final was issued to Argentina’s Pedro Monzón during the 1990 final against West Germany at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. Monzón was dismissed as Argentina went on to lose 1-0. In the same match, teammate Gustavo Dezotti was also sent off, making it the only World Cup final to feature two expulsions from the same team.
Fernandez now joins an exclusive and unwanted list of players dismissed in football’s biggest match.
The players sent off in FIFA World Cup finals are:
- Pedro Monzón (Argentina) vs West Germany, 1990
- Gustavo Dezotti (Argentina) vs West Germany, 1990
- Marcel Desailly (France) vs Brazil, 1998
- Zinedine Zidane (France) vs Italy, 2006
- John Heitinga (Netherlands) vs Spain, 2010
- Enzo Fernandez (Argentina) vs Spain, 2026
History has rarely been kind to teams reduced to 10 men in the World Cup final. Except France in 1998, when Marcel Desailly was dismissed late in a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Brazil, every team that has had a player sent off in the final has ended up on the losing side.
Fernandez’s dismissal therefore added another chapter to one of the tournament’s most exclusive and unfortunate records, reinforcing the trend that a red card in the World Cup final has almost always been accompanied by defeat.
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
BY KUNLE SOLAJA, NEW YORK
Africa emerged as the most successful confederation in the group stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with an unprecedented 90 percent of its representatives advancing to the Round of 32.
Nine of the 10 African teams that started the tournament secured places in the knockout phase, giving the Confederation of African Football (CAF) the highest qualification rate among all six continental confederations.
The African nations progressing to the Round of 32 are South Africa, Morocco, Côte d’Ivoire, Cape Verde, Senegal, Egypt, Ghana, DR Congo and Algeria.
Only one African team failed to survive the group stage, underscoring the continent’s growing competitiveness on football’s biggest stage.
CAF’s 90 per cent success rate placed it ahead of South America’s CONMEBOL, which saw 83.33 per cent of its teams advance, and Europe’s UEFA, whose members recorded an 81.25 per cent qualification rate.
The figures represent a significant shift in the global football landscape, where European and South American nations have traditionally dominated World Cup competitions.
The expanded 48-team format appears to have provided African countries with greater opportunities to showcase their progress, and they responded with a series of impressive performances throughout the group stage.
Cape Verde emerged as one of the tournament’s surprise packages by reaching the knockout rounds for the first time, while South Africa, DR Congo and Algeria also celebrated historic advances.
Senegal made history by becoming the first African nation to score five goals in a World Cup match, while Morocco continued the momentum generated by their remarkable semi-final run at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
In contrast, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) endured a difficult campaign, with only 22.22 per cent of its teams progressing. The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) recorded a 50 per cent qualification rate despite having the advantage of three host nations.
Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) failed to place any team in the Round of 32.
World Cup Round of 32 Qualification Rates by Confederation
- CAF (Africa): 90%
- CONMEBOL (South America): 83.33%
- UEFA (Europe): 81.25%
- CONCACAF (North and Central America/Caribbean): 50%
- AFC (Asia): 22.22%
- OFC (Oceania): 0%
The statistics show Africa’s growing influence in world football and raise hopes that the continent could produce its strongest collective performance ever in the knockout stages of a FIFA World Cup.
With nine teams still in contention, Africa enters the Round of 32 with more representatives than any other confederation and a genuine opportunity to challenge for the latter stages of the tournament.
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
BY KUNLE SOLAJA, NEW YORK.
Ecuador will look to continue their strong record against Concacaf opposition when they face Curaçao in a Group E encounter at the FIFA World Cup 2026.
The South Americans enter the match having won their last two World Cup meetings with teams from the Concacaf region and will be eager to maintain that trend as they chase a place in the knockout rounds.
For Curaçao, however, the fixture represents an opportunity to create history.
The Caribbean nation is one of the tournament’s debutants and is still searching for its first World Cup victory. After suffering a heavy defeat to Germany in their opening match, Curaçao will be desperate to demonstrate the resilience and determination that earned them a place at the expanded 48-team tournament.
A victory would make them the first of the World Cup 2026 newcomers to register a win and would provide a significant boost to their qualification hopes.
Ecuador are expected to rely on their experience at this level, but they know underestimating Curaçao could prove costly. The underdogs have already shown flashes of attacking quality despite their difficult introduction against Germany.
As the group stage begins to take shape, both teams understand the importance of securing points. Ecuador are chasing progression, while Curaçao are chasing history.
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
Ticket Sales Open for Women’s Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2026
Atunwon’s Heroics Lift Nigeria as Egypt Sweep Three Team Titles in Accra
A World Cup Reporter’s Walk to the United Nations
Breaking! Uzoho suspended from Super Eagles’ next match with Sierra Leone
NIGERIAN FOOTBALL CHIEF EXECUTIVE, SANUSI CHARGES NIGERIAN COACHES TO BE UPRIGHT, DILIGENT
No longer Super League as CAF changes name of its new clubs competition
- World Cup2 days ago
How a 64-team World Cup could transform soccer’s economics
- World Cup3 days ago
Reuters: 10 Key Takeaways from the 2026 FIFA World Cup
- World Cup1 week ago
Norway turn World Cup heartbreak into celebration as huge crowds pack capital
- World Cup5 days ago
The economic goal that never came: World Cup falls short of boosting Mexico
- World Cup7 days ago
Argentina’s coach, Scaloni faces former tutor, Spain’s De la Fuente In World Cup final
- World Cup6 days ago
Spain’s Sanchez to attend World Cup final alongside Trump amid tensions
- World Cup3 days ago
FIFA Salutes Kunle Solaja as Historic World Cup 2026 Draws to a Close
- World Cup1 week ago
Nike out of World Cup contention as Adidas-outfitted teams head to final