Angel City earned their second consecutive win, defeating Bay FC at home, 2-1, for their first regular season win against their Northern California neighbors. While Riley Tiernan continued to add to her rookie season goal tally with her eighth, Maiara Niehues notched the first goal of her NWSL career.
It’s a special moment for any player, and Niehues took the opportunity with the spotlight on her to pay homage to a legend gone too soon, Portuguese forward Diogo Jota, who passed away earlier this summer.
After scoring, Niehues plopped down on the field and whipped out her invisible video game controller.
In the days after Jota and his brother, André Silva, were killed in a car accident, tributes poured in both on and off the field, but the gamer celebration quickly became a way for the grieving soccer world to honor No. 20.
Jota was an avid gamer and at one point was even ranked No. 1 in the world in FIFA. Back in 2021, Jota went viral when he sent a message to a FIFA 22 tournament opponent, saying he couldn’t play because he had a real life Liverpool match that day.
After his first of two goals that match against Southampton, the gamer celly was born.
As a Portuguese star, Jota looms large, and before joining Angel City, Niehues spent three seasons with the Portuguese club, Sporting CP.
It surely won’t be the last time a footballer whips out an invisible controller in Jota’s honor, nor the last time Niehues scores for Angel City with her head. Speaking to the broadcast after the match, Niehues’ teammate Riley Tiernan – who also scored that night – said they practice that set piece and Niehues practices her headers a lot in training.
“Couldn't be happier for her, honestly. She deserves it,” said Tiernan. “She's such a hard worker and she's such a talented player, so for her to be able to get that and to have the game winner, I think it's an amazing thing.”
Maiara Niehues and Angel City FC travel to the East Coast this weekend, where they’ll face off against Gotham FC for the final time in the 2025 regular season. Kickoff is on Sunday, September 5PM ET on ESPN and ESPN+.
