By Monsurah Olatunji
Nigeria international Toni Oyedupe Payne showcased a stellar performance as her team, Everton, cruised to an impressive 4-1 victory over Leicester City.
The 29-year-old Super Falcons midfielder played a pivotal role, providing two vital assists that helped Everton secure a commanding win.
The match started with high intensity, as Kelly Gago put Everton ahead in the fifth minute. However, Leicester quickly responded, with Shannon O’Brien equalizing in the 15th minute, and both sides went into the break level at 1-1.
The second half saw Payne turn the game in Everton’s favour. Just four minutes after the restart, she delivered a precise assist to Katja Snoeijs, who scored to give Everton a 2-1 lead. Hanoka Hayashi then doubled the advantage in the 57th minute, before Gago completed her brace with another well-executed assist from Payne, sealing the 4-1 victory.
Payne played 82 minutes, registering two assists, before being substituted for Louna Ribadeira.
With this win, Everton climb to eighth place on the table, with 13 points from 13 games.
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.
