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By Ebenezer Bajela
The phrase ‘what men can do, women can do better’ is often used as a rallying cry for gender equality, intended to encourage and empower women.
However, for Super Falcons goalkeeper, Chiamaka Nnadozie, it is not in the interest of promoting equality and fairness, it is literally a statement of fact when it comes to penalty-saving in football.
The Nigerian women’s national team goalkeeper has established herself as the leading penalty specialist in Europe, boasting the highest number of saves from the spot among elite goalkeepers in the men and women’s top leagues since the start of the 2023/24 season.
Against Guingamp on Saturday, Nnadozie showcased her prowess once again by making her seventh penalty save of the season for Paris FC in their 4-0 win over the visitors in France’s Division 1 Women’s League.
Saturday’s save was the second time she would save a spot kick in the league, having earlier stopped five other penalties in the Women’s UEFA Champions League.
Last December, Nnadozie denied HB Hacken’s Rosa Kafaji from 12 yards in the 21st minute in what was her fifth spot-kick save in just eight matches in the Women’s Champions League.
The shot stopper proved to be the decisive difference maker as the French side held their hosts to keep Paris FC’s UEFA Women’s Champions League hopes alive.
She also made a crucial penalty save and several other outstanding stops as Paris FC defeated Real Madrid 2-1 in a UEFA Women’s Champions League game played at the Stade Robert-Bobin.
Prior to the penalty save against Real Madrid Women, the Nigerian had saved two penalty kicks against English giants, Arsenal, and one against Wolfsburg, as Paris FC knocked out both favourites from the competition’s qualifiers.
With her total seven penalty saves, it is noteworthy that Nndozie is currently the best goalkeeper in Europe when it comes to saving penalties.
Of the seven kicks she saved, she stopped two out of three in the French topflight league and five out of eight penalties in the Champions League.
In the men’s category, Predrag Rajković, who mans the posts for LaLiga’s Mallorca, boasts the highest number of saves from the spot in Europe this season with four saves.
Coincidentally, the Serbian national team goalkeeper — on the same night that Nnadozie denied Guingamp’s Aissata Traore from the penalty for her seventh penalty save of the season — also saved from the spot against Barcelona’s Ilkay Gündogan, the 28-year-old’s fourth of the current campaign, three short of Nnadozie.
Nnadozie, who has earned herself the tag ‘penalty expert’, did not just start her journey of saving shots from the spot kick.
At the 2019 Women’s World Cup in France, she saved a penalty against the hosts before the referee asked that the penalty be taken again, insisting the Nigerian keeper moved out of her line before the kick was taken by French captain Wendie Renard.
She, however, couldn’t save the retaken kick but was widely hailed for her impressive first attempt.
Nnadozie did it again at last year’s World Cup jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand.
The keeper saved Canadian legend Christine Sinclair’s penalty in the 50th minute of their goalless draw at the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium in their opening group game.
The 23-year-old’s penalty heroics also played a key role in helping the Falcons qualify for the last edition of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, at the expense of Ivory Coast.
The Falcons defeated the Ivoirians 2-0 in Abuja in the first leg but in the 34th minute of the reverse fixture at the Stade Robert Champroux, Nnadozie saved a penalty after defender Ashleigh Plumptre was adjudged to have tripped an Ivorian striker in the Nigerian box.
At club level, her exceptional ability to stop penalties has been instrumental in bolstering Paris FC’s defensive resilience and securing crucial points for her team.
Her remarkable consistency and composure under pressure have undoubtedly made her a vital asset for both club and country, earning her admiration and recognition among fans, rival fans and teammates alike.