Roma 4-0 Parma: Nigerian forward scores on Serie A debut as the She-Wolf power to big win

Nigeria and AS Roma forward Rinsola Babajide. Photo Credit: Babajide/X

Nigeria international forward Rinsola Babajide needed less than half an hour of her Serie A debut to make her mark for AS Roma, Soccernet.ng reports.

The Super Falcons star, signed this summer after a standout season in Spain, opened her account in a 4-0 victory over Parma at Tre Fontane on Sunday afternoon.

The 26-year-old forward, fresh from helping Nigeria win the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, rose highest in the 29th minute to head home a pinpoint cross and double Roma’s lead.

It was a clinical finish that showed exactly why the Giallorossi moved for her.

By half-time, Babajide and new teammate Corelli had the game firmly under control. Giugliano and Dragoni added further goals after the break to round off an emphatic opening-day statement from last season’s third-place finishers.

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For Babajide, the goal continues a pattern of delivering on the biggest stages.

Last year, she was electric for UD Tenerife, racking up ten goals and five assists in 26 league appearances in the Primera División. That tally remains the most productive campaign of her career so far and set the platform for her move to Italy.

The London-born striker has taken the long road to this point, with stints at Real Betis, Brighton, Watford and Liverpool shaping her journey.

But it was in Spain that she truly caught fire, and Roma are banking on her to replicate that cutting edge as they aim to wrestle back the league title they last won in 2024, when they swept Serie A, the Coppa Italia and the Supercoppa Italiana in a historic treble.

Her international pedigree is also growing.

At WAFCON in Morocco, she netted her first tournament goal for Nigeria as the Super Falcons lifted their record-extending 10th crown. That experience has fuelled her confidence, and she now looks determined to carry that momentum into club football.

Imhonlamhen Eronmhonsele

Imhonlamhen Eronmhonsele turns into a ball of passion when writing about Nigerian football and its talents, whether rising stars or established legends, locally and abroad.

From the deepest corners of the Middle East, to the green fields of the Americas, to the celebrated grounds in Europe, and the rich soils of Africa, Imhons is more than glad, usually with a glass of a tasty drink nearby, to capture the essence of the game, by connecting the dots between culture, identity, and football.