Photo Credit: Facebook | Asisat Oshoala
FIFA Hails Asisat Oshoala’s Historic 2014 U-20 Women’s World Cup Heroics

World football governing body, FIFA, has celebrated Nigerian striker Asisat Oshoala’s remarkable campaign at the 2014 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Canada, describing it as one of the tournament’s greatest individual performances.

In a feature published on its official website, FIFA recalled how Oshoala announced herself to the world at the tournament in Canada, where she won both the Golden Boot for top scorer and the Golden Ball for best player.

The Super Falcons star had a slow start, scoring just once in the group stage, before exploding in the knockout rounds. She netted twice against New Zealand in the quarter-final and scored four goals against DPR Korea in the semi-final.

Although Nigeria lost 1-0 to Germany in the final, Oshoala’s seven goals in the competition left an indelible mark. The tally places her fourth on the list of highest scorers in a single edition of the tournament, level with Korea DPR’s Kim Un-Hwa. The record is jointly held by Christine Sinclair (2002) and Alexandra Popp (2010) with 10 goals each. Oshoala remains the only African to ever win the tournament’s Golden Boot.

According to FIFA, the 2014 tournament became the launchpad for her illustrious career. Just two months later, she won her first Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) title with Nigeria, before making her senior World Cup debut at Canada 2015 where she scored in a 3-3 draw against Sweden.

She further cemented her legacy at France 2019 with a crucial goal against South Korea as Nigeria reached the knockout stage for the first time since 1999, and at Australia/New Zealand 2023, she became the first African to score in three different Women’s World Cup editions after finding the net against co-hosts Australia.

Now 31, Oshoala has become the most decorated African female footballer, with six African Women’s Footballer of the Year awards and four WAFCON titles.

At club level, she has played for Liverpool, Arsenal, Dalian Quanjian in China, Barcelona, Bay FC in the USA, and now features for Saudi club Al Hilal. She has 40 goals in 74 caps for the Super Falcons.
Source: Punch Newspapers