By Akinwale Kasali
Super Falcons of Nigeria Captain and Barcelona Football Club striker, Asisat Oshoala has written her name in the history book.
She has become the first Nigerian and first African to win the coveted Women UEFA Champions League final, following a 4-0 mauling of Chelsea Female Football Club of England.
Under 33 Seconds, Barcelona had taken the lead courtesy of a Melanie Leupolz’s own goal, before Alexia Putellas added the second goal from the penalty box.
Caroline Graham Hansen and Lieke Martens added two more goals to compound the woes of the London Club side.
Meaning that within 36 minutes, Gothenburg Stadium, in Sweden, witnessed how Barcelona blew off high flying Chelsea team apart.
Despite a spirited second-half display, there was no way back for the Blues, as the scoreline remained 4-0 till the match ended.
Barcelona becomes the first club to clinch both the men’s and women’s Champions League title, while this was the biggest ever winning margin in a Women’s final.
Emma Hayes’ Chelsea-side had hoped to add a European crown to their Women’s Super League and League Cup triumphs this season, as they looked to become only the second English side in history, after Arsenal in 2007, to complete the quadruple.
It was Chelsea’s first Champions League final – and the first time an English side had reached the showpiece since Arsenal lifted the trophy in 2007 – and it showed with a nervous start, and failure to turn the tide once things began to unravel.
In the first attack of the game, Lieke Martens struck the bar for the Spanish champions from outside the box and from a subsequent cross Fran Kirby’s attempted clearance rebounded off team-mate Leupolz and freakishly looped in over goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger.
Chelsea’s Pernille Harder missed a golden chance to level when she shot over when unmarked from Jess Carter’s deep cross, and they were punished as Leupolz caught Jennifer Hermoso with her trailing leg in the box and Putellas calmly sent Berger the wrong way from the spot.
Putellas then played a wonderful first-time pass for Bonmati to slot home a third inside 20 minutes before Martens beat Niamh Charles and showed composure to pick out Hansen for well-worked fourth goal.
Chelsea was high on endeavour after the break, but failed to create any notable chances, while Barca’s Asisat Oshoala had a last-gasp goal ruled for offside.
Hayes’ Blues had not even qualified for last year’s competition and had previously twice fallen at the semi-final stage, so finishing as runners-up is a big step forward both for the club and the ever-growing profile of the WSL.
And it has been a memorable campaign which has seen them win a record fourth league crown, while they could yet add the FA Cup to their League Cup for a domestic treble.
Attacking duo Kirby and Sam Kerr have dazzled, scoring 52 goals between them this season, but they could not get a foothold in Sweden and the Australia striker was withdrawn with 20 minutes left.
And while Carter and Charles have impressed in makeshift full-back roles in recent months, they struggled against the world class wide play of a Barcelona side who have won all 26 of their domestic league matches and scored 128 goals in the process.
The defeat of the Chelsea female team comes 24-hours after their male counterpart lost 1-0 to Leicester City Football Club in the England FA Cup tie on Saturday.
