Import Chioma Ubogagu was fantastic in Brisbane’s 1-1 draw with Perth Glory on Sunday, with her speed, strength, movement, game sense and shot power all on display in a memorable performance.
The only thing she did not produce was a first goal in Roar colours but on this evidence, it will not take long for her to open her Westfield W-League account.
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The new of her stellar performance appears to have echoed across the globe, with the 26-year-old catching the eye of England boss Phil Neville who included her in the Lionesses squad for upcoming internationals.
Despite representing the United States at underage levels, Ubogagu’s birth place makes her eligible to also represent England.
Ubogagu – who played in a front three – was a constant threat and could have easily had a pair of assists in a first half that Brisbane controlled.
First, after showing a turn of speed, she cut back for Alissa Toby, who could not direct her effort on target, before Katrina Gorry was next to benefit from Ubogagu’s hard work, only to shoot over.
Brisbane soon found themselves behind but Ubogagu took it upon on herself to level proceedings, showing her speed to get clear of two Perth defenders before firing a fierce effort straight at Perth goalkeeper Eliza Campbell in the 78th minute.
The Roar continued to miss chances, with Carson Pickett next to blaze over, but just when it looked like they had run out of time, Ubogagu – born in England and a former Arsenal player – produced again.
This time, after winning the ball from a throw-in, she took her time before lofting a left-footed ball over the Glory defence and into Pickett’s path.
And Pickett, her Orlando Pride teammate, did the rest, producing a clever first-time finish to bring Brisbane level.
Ubogagu kept running in search of a late winner and although it did not come, she said afterwards that she was only just “getting there” with her fitness – a real warning to the rest of the Westfield W-League.
“It was the first game, so obviously there’s some things you’ve got to work on personally, and with the team, just chemistry and stuff,” Ubogagu, who put 10 balls into the penalty area, told Fox Sports.
“I’m happy we got a point out of that. I thought we had some good chances as a team.
“I just enjoyed it a lot … hopefully we can keep building and keep scoring more goals.”
