Super Falcons goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie endured disappointment at Wembley as Brighton & Hove Albion Women fell 4-0 to Manchester City in the Women’s FA Cup final on Sunday.
Nnadozie was one of Brighton’s standout performers despite the heavy defeat, making six saves from the 10 shots she faced as Manchester City completed a historic domestic double in front of 43,917 spectators.
The Nigerian international was called into action several times during a lively opening half as Brighton threatened through Fran Kirby, Kiko Seike and Maisie Symonds but failed to convert their chances.
City eventually broke the deadlock in the 38th minute when Jamaican striker Khadija Shaw headed home before skipper Alex Greenwood doubled the advantage with a low free-kick from 20 yards.
Brighton entered the contest seeking the first major trophy in the club’s history and matched the Women’s Super League champions for long spells of the game.
However, Nnadozie and her teammates struggled to contain City’s attacking quality after the break.
Shaw later turned provider for Aoba Fujino to make it 3-0 before Dutch forward Vivianne Miedema came off the bench to complete the scoring late on.
Despite Nnadozie’s six saves and several interventions to keep the scoreline respectable, Brighton were unable to prevent City from claiming their fourth Women’s FA Cup title and adding it to the Women’s Super League crown they secured earlier this month.
Away from their final defeat, the 25-year-old, who joined Brighton from Paris FC last summer, has been one of the standout performers in the Women’s Super League this season, earning a place in the WhoScored.com Team of The Season after keeping six clean sheets in 19 league appearances and posting an average rating of 6.87.
Her displays have been central to Brighton’s improvement under coach Dario Vidosic, helping them climb into the top half of the table and put together their longest unbeaten run in over a decade.
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