Thursday Throwback: Oshoala makes African history at FIFA tournament

The Super Falcons star has achieved a lot in football, and she is on course to become one of the greatest female footballers to come out of Africa

The Super Falconets are used to making appearances at the Under-20 World Cup, but the 2014 set’s performance was unprecedented.

Nigeria has nine appearances at the female U-20 World Cup, but the two most notable were in 2010 and 2014.

When 19-year-old Oshoala and her teammates wore the green and white in 2014, they hoped to outdo the previous set, which finished fourth in 2012 and probably do one better than the 2010 set, which finished in second place.

The Super Falconets took the tournament by storm, and Oshoala was at the heart of everything. The female Under-20’s won two and drew one game in the group stages to finish top, above England, Mexico, and South Korea.

Oshoala was brilliant, scoring two goals. However, she stepped it up in the knockout rounds, scoring five goals in two games, including a hat trick against North Korea.

In the finals, the Super Falconets met with Germany, but unfortunately, they lost in extra time. Nonetheless, Oshoala’s performances did not go unnoticed.

Despite being on the losing end, she became the first African to win an end-of-tournament award at any FIFA Women’s World Cup (age-group or senior), as she clinched the top scorer and best player prizes.