In the much awaited international friendly on Tuesday at PayPal Park, the National Women’s Soccer League fell to Barcelona 5-2, despite Asisat Oshoala scoring for Bay FC.
In front of 14,187 supporters, the 29-year-old Super Falcons striker gave the home team the lead on 17 minutes after facing the Catalans for the first time since parting company with them in February. This was the beginning of a string of goals.
Bay FC celebrated her goal on their Instagram page shortly after, stating, “It had to be Oshoala to score first against her former team.”
She intercepted a pass from the Barcelona goalkeeper near the edge of the box and fired a shot into the bottom left corner of the goal, while Barcelona levelled the match at 1-1 in the 21st minute after Ewa Pajor dribbled down the right side of the field and slotted a pass to Kika Nazareth, who delivered a strike from the edge of the box that snuck inside the left post.
Bay FC fielded 21 players in the match, with Oshoala making way for Anderson at the restart after replicating her scoring form at Barcelona, where she weighed 85 goals in 101 matches between 2019 and 2024, amassing trophies and a litany of individual awards.
The Nigeria international, who has also played for Liverpool and Arsenal, will be expected to deliver the goals for Bay FC when they travel for a road match on Friday against Portland Thorns FC at Providence Park.
The encounter was friendly through and through, as Barcelona players were seen hugging Oshoala one after the other at the sound of the final whistle, celebrating the reunion. The UEFA Champions League champions also took to their social media handles to share their excitement, stating, “Great to see you again, Asisat Oshoala.”
