Super Falcons captain Rasheedat Busayo Ajibade scored as Paris Saint-Germain overcame Eintracht Frankfurt 5-1 after extra time to secure their place in the UEFA Women’s Champions League.
PSG advanced 6-2 on aggregate, having drawn 1-1 with the German club in the opening leg. The tie remained evenly poised at 1-1 after the second match’s regulation 90 minutes, forcing the contest into extra time.
Democratic Republic of Congo striker Merveille Kanjinga gave the French side the lead in the 36th minute before scoring again shortly after the additional period began, with her second goal arriving in the 96th minute. Sakina Karchaoui then added another from the penalty spot in the 113th minute.
Ajibade put the result beyond doubt by scoring in the first minute of stoppage time at the end of extra time. Eintracht had briefly restored parity through Sweden international Rebecka Blomqvist, who struck in the 76th minute, but the visitors could not withstand PSG’s surge during the additional 30 minutes.
Ajibade’s goal added to the Nigerian influence at Paris Saint-Germain, who also have Super Falcons midfielder Jennifer Onyinyechi Echegini in their squad.
Echegini, whom the club reportedly chose to sign despite interest from Manchester City and Arsenal in the English Women’s Super League, completed the full 120 minutes against Frankfurt.
Super Falcons forward Toni Payne was not involved in another dramatic second-leg contest, as Inter Milan overturned a two-goal deficit against two-time European champions VfL Wolfsburg. Inter had trailed 2-0 from the first meeting, when Lara Prašnikar and Camilla Küver scored for the German side.
The Italian team responded with a 3-1 victory in the return match, levelling the aggregate score at 3-3 before prevailing 5-4 in the penalty shootout. Payne, who moved to Inter from Everton before the current season, played no part in Wednesday’s comeback.
Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan’s victories took both clubs into the competition’s league phase. Teams that succeed in the third qualifying round progress to that stage, while those knocked out move into the UEFA Women’s Europa Cup.
