Brazilian legend Marta, Zambia’s Banda inspire Orlando Pride to NWSL title
Al Jazeera
Zambian striker Barbra Banda scored the only goal as Orlando beat the Washington Spirit 1-0 in the championship game.
The Orlando Pride have claimed their first title of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) Championship in the United States after beating the Washington Spirit 1-0, thanks to a goal from in-form Zambian striker Barbra Banda.
Banda, who scored the second-most goals in the regular season with 16, slipped one past two-time NWSL goalkeeper of the year Aubrey Kingsbury in the 37th minute and a stout Orlando defence extinguished Washington’s chances at the game in Kansas City on Saturday.
The Spirit lost all four of their regular-season meetings with Orlando over the last two years and could not crack the code this time around, and their frantic attempts late in the match went unrewarded.
Orlando had only been to the postseason once before and the win gave their 38-year-old Brazilian captain Marta – a six-time Best FIFA Women’s Player and an icon of the sport – a long sought-after piece of silverware.
