Nnadozie, Omewa, lead Nigerian women’s stars abroad as Okpe, Nkor shine

Chiamaka Nnadozie Credit: Brighton & Hove Albion Women on X

Nigerian women footballers enjoyed an impressive weekend across Europe and the Middle East, with Joy Omewa scoring a dramatic late winner for BK Häcken, Chiamaka Nnadozie keeping her first clean sheet of the season for Brighton & Hove Albion, and Blessing Okpe and Blessing Nkor continuing their prolific goalscoring campaigns in Belarus.

Taiwo Lawal also found the net in Saudi Arabia, rounding off a productive weekend for Nigerian players making their mark in different leagues.

Omewa was among the standout performers after converting an 89th-minute penalty to hand BK Häcken a hard-fought 2-1 away victory over Växjö DFF in the Swedish OBOS Damallsvenskan on Friday.

The Super Falcons forward’s late intervention proved decisive, keeping Häcken on course for the league title. The Swedish side now need just two points from their remaining three matches to secure the championship.

The goal also took Omewa’s tally to four since joining Häcken during the summer, underlining her growing contribution to the club’s title push.

In England, Super Falcons goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie recorded her first clean sheet of the 2026/27 Barclays Women’s Super League campaign as Brighton & Hove Albion defeated West Ham United 3-0 on Saturday.

Nnadozie made two saves to help Brighton protect their advantage and secure a convincing home win. Maisie Symonds, Fran Kirby and Kiko Seike were on target for the hosts, whose three-goal performance was backed by a solid defensive display.

The shutout represented an encouraging milestone for the Nigerian international as she continues her campaign in English women’s football.

In Belarus, Blessing Okpe continued her outstanding season in front of goal, scoring in Dnepr Mogilev’s 2-0 away victory over ABFF WU-19 in the Belarusian Women’s Premier League on Saturday.

Okpe struck in the 59th minute to double her team’s advantage and help secure all three points. The effort took her season tally to 22 goals, further highlighting her importance to Dnepr Mogilev’s attacking output.

Blessing Nkor also enjoyed another productive outing, scoring in Dynamo Brest’s emphatic 7-0 victory over Dyussh-Polesgu.

After Nadezhda Ilinykh opened the scoring, Nkor doubled Brest’s lead in the 21st minute, setting the tone for a dominant performance by the hosts.

The Nigerian forward has now scored 13 league goals in 11 appearances this season, while her overall contribution has reached 14 goal involvements. Her consistency in front of goal continues to make her one of the Nigerian players to watch in Belarus.

In the Saudi Women’s Premier League, Taiwo Lawal was also on the scoresheet, although her goal could not prevent Al-Taraji Ladies from suffering a 4-2 defeat to Neom SC on Friday.

Lawal found the net in the 56th minute, registering her first league goal of the season. The strike took her total to five goals in six appearances across all competitions.

The Nigerian had entered the fixture on the back of an impressive cup performance, having scored four times against Eastern Flames in her previous outing.

Despite Al-Taraji’s defeat, Lawal’s continued involvement in the goals offers an encouraging sign as she looks to build on her cup form and make a greater impact in the league.

With Omewa helping Häcken move closer to the Swedish title, Nnadozie delivering a clean sheet in England, and Okpe and Nkor continuing to score regularly in Belarus, the weekend provided another reminder of the growing presence of Nigerian women footballers across international leagues.