By Oluwadamilola Olaleye
Nigeria forward Rinsola Babajide began her AS Roma career on a positive note as the Italian champions defeated Ternana 4-2 in their opening fixture of the newly introduced Serie A Women’s Cup.
Babajide, who recently joined Roma on a free transfer from Spanish side UD Tenerife, was introduced in the 75th minute to warm applause from fans.
The winger showed flashes of her pace and attacking intent as Roma maintained control to seal victory.
The 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations winner will be hoping to establish herself as a key figure for Roma, who are targeting both domestic dominance and success in the expanded UEFA Women’s Champions League.
AS Roma will next face Kazakh side Aktobe in the Champions League preliminary round on Wednesday at the Stadion na Plynarne.
Babajide signed a two-year deal with the Giallorosse, keeping her at the club until 2027.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career 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.
