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Francisca Ordega Scores, Ashleigh Plumptre Leads as Al-Ittihad Storm into Challenge Cup Semifinals

Published

6 months ago

4:22 pm

Francisca Ordega Scores, Ashleigh Plumptre Leads as Al-Ittihad Storm into Challenge Cup Semifinals

Nigeria winger Francisca Ordega was on target while Ashleigh Plumptre delivered a commanding performance as captain, as Al-Ittihad cruised into the semifinals of the Saudi Women’s Premier Challenge Cup with a resounding 6–1 victory over NEOM on Sunday.

Al-Ittihad asserted control from the opening exchanges and were rewarded when Leticia Nunes broke the deadlock. The pressure continued to mount, and Ordega doubled the lead in the 30th minute, finishing confidently to punish NEOM once again after also scoring against them in their previous league meeting. Her strike ensured Al-Ittihad headed into the break with a comfortable 2–0 advantage.

At the heart of the defence, Plumptre was immense. Wearing the captain’s armband from the first whistle, the Super Falcons defender organised her backline superbly, restricting NEOM to few clear chances and keeping her side firmly in control.

Any hopes of a comeback were dashed early in the second half when an unfortunate own goal further widened the gap. From there, Lina Boussaha stole the spotlight, netting a hat-trick to complete a ruthless attacking display, with NEOM only able to muster a late consolation goal.

The emphatic win secured Al-Ittihad’s second-place finish in Group B with a perfect record from two matches and booked a blockbuster semifinal clash against Al Nassr on Wednesday, December 17, 2025, at the Inaya Medical Colleges Stadium, Riyadh.

The other semifinal will see six-time African Player of the Year Asisat Oshoala in action for Al Hilal against Al Ahli, setting up an exciting finale to the Challenge Cup.

Samuel Ahmadu

Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.

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