Chiamaka Nnadozie delivered a stunning performance to lead her side to their first major title in nearly two decades on Saturday night.
Paris FC edged arch-rivals Paris Saint-Germain 5-4 on penalties after a tense 0-0 draw in the 2025 Coupe de France Féminine final at the Stade de l’Épopée in Calais, thanks in no small part to the Nigerian goalkeeper’s shootout heroics.
A Night of Nerves, Passion, and Penalties
The final, the first all-Paris showdown in the tournament’s history, was a fiercely contested battle between two sides familiar with one another and rich in talent.
Both teams created chances in an end-to-end affair, but goalkeepers Chiamaka Nnadozie and Constance Picaud ensured the match remained goalless through 90 minutes.
With no extra time played in the competition format, the match proceeded directly to penalties.
Nnadozie’s Penalty Masterclass
As the shootout progressed, it looked like PSG might pull ahead when Clara Mateo struck the post with Paris FC’s second attempt. But Nnadozie had other ideas.
She produced a brilliant save to deny Korbin Albert, diving low to her right, and then delivered the decisive moment of the night—tipping away Jade Le Guilly’s penalty in sudden death to secure the title and spark scenes of unbridled joy among the Paris FC bench and travelling fans.
The 24-year-old’s two saves not only clinched the victory but wrote her name into Paris FC folklore, ending the club’s 20-year wait for silverware and delivering their first Coupe de France title since 2005, when they competed as FCF Juvisy.
Dominant Season, Fitting Finale
Nnadozie’s brilliance in Calais was no one-off. Her 2024–25 campaign has been among the finest of her career.
The Super Falcons goalkeeper finished with:
11 clean sheets in 18 league matches
A save percentage of 80.7%
Only 11 goals conceded all season
Named in the Arkema Première Ligue Team of the Season for the second consecutive year
Her penalty-stopping skill is becoming legendary.
In the UEFA Women’s Champions League earlier this season, she made five penalty saves in just eight matches, including stops against Arsenal, Wolfsburg, and Olga Carmona’s Real Madrid.
From Rivers Angels to European Glory
This is Nnadozie’s first club title since leaving Nigeria, where she won multiple trophies with Rivers Angels and helped the Super Falcons conquer Africa.
The victory is a defining moment in a career that continues to scale new heights.
It also marked redemption after Paris FC’s painful semi-final loss to PSG in 2024, when they fell short of the final.
This time, with Nnadozie in goal, they rewrote the script.
The Road to Calais: Paris FC’s Cup Run
Though Ines Marques started the earlier rounds of the Coupe de France, Nnadozie took over in the quarter-finals, delivering solid performances against Dijon FCO and Le Havre AC.
Against the latter, she made crucial saves, with Madeline Roth’s goal being the only one Paris FC conceded in the entire cup run.
Her participation in the final had initially been in doubt after being stretchered off in a league win against Fleury 91, but she returned just in time to be the difference maker.
All Eyes on the Future
With interest from top European clubs—including reported talks with Everton—Nnadozie’s future may lie beyond Paris.
But for now, she remains the heartbeat of Paris FC and a talisman for both Nigerian football and French women’s football.