Nigerian star lifts third Spanish League title

Nigeria’s Asisat Oshoala has won her third consecutive Primera Division title with Spanish giants Barcelona. Watching from the stands as she is still recovering from an injury, Oshoala’s side defeated arch-rival Real Madrid 5-0 to open an unassailable 22-point gap over second-placed Real Sociedad. Barcelona are on 72 points with six matches remaining in the current campaign. In her four year stay at the club, the Super Falcons captain has helped the Catalans to seven league titles. She has netted 19 goals just this season alone – making her the league’s leading goal scorer. In her absence, Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas led the assault on Real Madrid, scoring two quick goals (42^nd, 43^rd) to take the game away from their opponents at Estadi Johan Cruyff. Patri Guijarro extended the lead in the second half before Blancos defender Babett Peter scored an own goal to make it 4-0. Jenni Hermoso also got on the scoresheet to complete the rout. In a remarkable season where they were dominant throughout, Barcelona registered 24 wins in as many games, scoring 136 goals and conceded just six in the process. The success for Oshoala and teammates comes a week after she and other influential players put pen to paper for contract extensions. The Nigerian was snapped following her loan move from China’s  Dalian Quanjian in 2019 – the four-time African Women’s Footballer of the year has played over 100 games for the league champions. Also confirming her stay with the Catalan giants was defender Maria Leon, who first joined from Atletico Madrid in the 2017/2018 season – she is currently fifth on the list of all-time appearances for Barca with 350 games played. The third key player to sign on the dotted line and continue her journey with Barcelona was another defender Marta Torrejon, coming from cross-town rivals Espanyol in 2013 – the former Spain captain has scored 50 goals for her side, a rare feat for a defender. The Primera Division victory means they are two steps away from completing a treble this season. There are still the Copa del Rey and the EUFA Women’s Champions League trophies on offer. Barca will continue the defence of their Copa del Rey title when they face Real Sociedad in the quarterfinals on Wednesday (16 March 2022). The Catalans’ Champions League campaign will resume later this month (Tuesday, 22 March) when they take on Real Madrid in an all-Spanish quarterfinal. The return fixture will be played the following week (Wednesday, 30 March). By Matlhomola Morake