Osinachi Ohale: Nigeria defender joins Mexican club after fine Women’s World Cup show

By Oyediji Oluwaseun Babatunde

Nigeria defender, Osinachi Ohale has joined Mexican Liga MX side, Pachuca as the team attempts to improve their standings on the league table.

The former AS Roma defender joined her new team from the Spanish side, Deportivo Alaves after her former club got relegated to second-tier women’s league in Spain at the end of the 2022/2023 season.

Ohale who scored one of Nigeria goals as the nine-time African champions stunned co-hosts, Australia 3-2 in the group stage of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup is joining her seventh team abroad since departing Nigeria Women Football League (NWFL) Premiership side, River Angels in 2017.

She had a stint with the United States of America (USA) National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) outfit, Houston Dash in 2014.

The former Delta Queens player joined Swedish side, Vittsjo GIK in 2017 before joining another Swedish club, Vaxjo DFF after a season and spent two seasons with her team.

At the end of the 2018/2019 season, she moved to the defunct Spanish side, CD Tacon, and was with the team for a season before it was renamed Real Madrid which saw her join the Italian side, AS Roma for the 2020/2021 season.

She later switched to the Spanish team, Madrid CFF where she scored two league goals with an assist in 16 games before joining Alaves.

Ohale spent two seasons with Alaves in the Spanish top flight scoring three league goals with an assist in 51 league games.

At the national team level, she represented Nigeria at five Women’s African Cup of Nations (WAFCON), winning the title on four occasions in 2010, 2014, 2016, and 2018, and has attended four FIFA Women’s World Cups in 2011, 2015, 2019, and 2023.

Ohale joins Monterrey’s Ihezuo Chinwendu as the second Nigerian player in the Mexican league and might play her first game against Puebla during a league encounter on August 20.

Pachuca occupy the 12th position on the 18-team league table wit six points from five games.