Nigerian Women Footballers Shine Abroad with Goals and Clean Sheets

Nigerian women footballers had a great weekend in Europe and the Middle East. Joy Omewa scored a late winner for BK Häcken, while Chiamaka Nnadozie kept her first clean sheet of the season for Brighton & Hove Albion. Blessing Okpe and Blessing Nkor also continued their great scoring form in Belarus. Taiwo Lawal also got on the scoresheet in Saudi Arabia, making it a successful weekend for Nigerian players.

Omewa was a standout player, scoring an 89th-minute penalty to give BK Häcken a tough 2-1 away win over Växjö DFF in the Swedish OBOS Damallsvenskan on Friday. Her late goal was crucial, helping Häcken stay in the race for the league title. The team now needs just two points from their last three matches to win the championship.

This goal took Omewa’s tally to four since joining Häcken during the summer. Her contributions are becoming important as the club pushes for the title.

In England, goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie made her mark by keeping a clean sheet in the 2026/27 Barclays Women’s Super League. Brighton & Hove Albion beat West Ham United 3-0 on Saturday. Nnadozie made two important saves to secure the win for Brighton. The goals came from Maisie Symonds, Fran Kirby, and Kiko Seike, supported by a strong defensive show.

This clean sheet is a good sign for the Nigerian international as she continues her journey in English women’s football.

In Belarus, Blessing Okpe kept up her great scoring form. She scored in Dnepr Mogilev’s 2-0 win over ABFF WU-19 in the Belarusian Women’s Premier League on Saturday. Okpe scored in the 59th minute to help her team secure all three points. This goal brought her season total to 22 goals, showing how important she is to Dnepr Mogilev’s attack.

Blessing Nkor also had a great game, scoring in Dynamo Brest’s 7-0 victory over Dyussh-Polesgu. After Nadezhda Ilinykh scored first, Nkor doubled Brest’s lead in the 21st minute, leading to a strong performance from the team.

Nkor has now scored 13 league goals in 11 matches this season. Her overall contributions have reached 14 goal involvements, making her one of the players to watch in Belarus.

In the Saudi Women’s Premier League, Taiwo Lawal also scored. However, her goal could not save Al-Taraji Ladies from a 4-2 loss to Neom SC on Friday. Lawal scored in the 56th minute, marking her first league goal of the season. She now has five goals in six matches across all competitions.

Lawal entered this match after a great cup performance, where she scored four goals against Eastern Flames. Even with Al-Taraji’s loss, Lawal’s consistent scoring is a positive sign as she aims to build on her cup success and impact the league.

With Omewa pushing Häcken closer to the Swedish title, Nnadozie earning a clean sheet in England, and Okpe and Nkor scoring in Belarus, this weekend showed the growing presence of Nigerian women footballers in international leagues.