Asisat Oshoala was one of the scorers and standout players on Tuesday night as Barcelona dismissed Arsenal 4-1 in their UEFA Women’s Champions League Group C opener.
The Super Falcons star scored Barcelona’s third goal in the comfortable win over her former club.
Oshoala was also involved in the first and second goals in a woman-of-the-match performance.
The Nigeria captain had her shot rebound to Mariona Caldentey, who netted the opening goal in the 31st minute.
Oshoala then ran down the right-wing and squared the ball for Alexia Putellas to score the second goal three minutes before half-time.
The 26-year-old multiple-times African Player of the Year then added the third goal two minutes into the second half from a sublime Mariona through ball.
Frida Maanum touched in a consolation goal for visitors Arsenal in the 74th minute before Lieke Martens added the fourth for the champions with six minutes left on the clock.
Putellas should have made it 5-1 in injury time but her penalty was saved by Manuela Zinsberger.
Oshoala played for Arsenal from March 2016 to February 2017, helping them to win the FA Cup, and did not celebrate her goal against her former club.
Incidentally, Arsenal were one of the form teams in Europe before Tuesday’s game, with eight wins from eight games in all competitions this season, scoring at least three in each match.
They were unbeaten in 20 games in all competitions, but Barcelona had also won all their matches this season – five in the league – and this was the first time they scored fewer than five goals in a game.
Arsenal next host German side Hoffenheim on Thursday, 14 October, while Barcelona will travel to Denmark to face Koge.
Hoffenheim beat Koge 5-0 in Tuesday’s other Group C fixture.
