Kafaji strikes late to earn Albion a draw at Liverpool

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Substitute's sweetly-struck shot in injury time earns Albion their first away point of the season in the WSL

Neil Moxley

2025-11-09T14:00+00:00

Delight for Rosa Kafaji after she scored Albion's injury-time equaliser. 📷Craig Galloway

Rosa Kafaji netted a dramatic injury-time equaliser to earn Albion their first WSL point on the road this season.

The substitute supplied a superb finish into the bottom corner from ten yards as Dario Vidosic’s side grabbed a deserved share of the spoils at the St Helens Stadium.

It had appeared as though a fourth successive away league defeat was on the cards but the Sweden international pounced as sustained pressure in the dying stages paid off.

Until then, Beata Olsson’s 26th-minute goal separated the two sides in an encounter where both shared justifiable claims for victory.

Rosa Kafaji's shot finds the bottom corner to make it 1-1 in stoppage time. 📷Craig Galloway

Liverpool went into this fixture without a win in six league attempts and enjoyed a spell towards the end of the first-half that nearly proved decisive.

The Reds hit the woodwork twice - but also somehow managed to keep a clean sheet - with superb last ditch defending denying Jelana Cankovic and Maisie Symonds.

The hosts also managed to keep out Fran Kirby’s side-foot 20 minutes from time with Fuka Nagano clearing off the line.

But, as Liverpool retreated in the final stages, Albion poured forward and were rewarded in the fourth of five minutes of injury time when Kafaji found the net.

Albion started well and enjoyed by far the better openings during the first quarter of the game.

Chiamaka Nnadozie is at full stretch to tip Sam Kerr's shot onto the crossbar. 📷Craig Galloway

Carla Camacho’s early effort was held comfortably by Reds’ keeper Faye Kirby who was called into far more dramatic action moments later when Cankovic tried her luck from 25 yards.

A neat move down the right involving Kirby and Kiko Seike ended with Carla Camacho heading a cross from the Japan international against the angle of crossbar and upright.

But the momentum in the game shifted towards the hosts after they took the lead. A move down the left was finished off at the near post by Olsson.

However, the afternoon could have turned out differently had Albion hit back four minutes later.

The visitors won back possession deep inside Liverpool’s half and Cankovic saw a goalbound shot blocked. The rebound fell to Maisie Symonds. The skipper’s shot struck keeper keeper Kirby’s leg before rebounding to safety.

Skipper Maisie Symonds breaks forward. 📷 Craig Galloway

But Liverpool ended the half on a high. They twice tested the woodwork inside the final five minutes.

Albion keeper Chiamaka Nnadozie pulled off a super stop, diverting Fuka Nagano’s long-range effort onto the crossbar.

She was beaten moments later by Sam Kerr’s effort. Again, the woodwork came to the visitors’ rescue.

But Vidosic rang the changes after the hour and Albion started to ask more questions of the home defence.

Madison Haley returned to action following injury and the forward tested Kirby with a close-range volley.

Then Albion thought they had drawn themselves level when a move down the right ended with Kirby side footing towards goal. The ball was stopped from entering the net by Reds’ midfielder Nagano who appeared out of nowhere to block on the line.

And that appeared to be that - until Kafaji had the final word.

Albion: Nnadozie, Rule, (sub: Vargas 88) Hayes, (Mpome 77) Minami, Olislagers; Cankovic, Symonds, (Noordam 88) Kirby; Seike, McLauchlan, (Haley 61) Camacho. (Kafaji 61)