Zecira Musovic is doing her part for the Chelsea Women

Within 33 minutes of a pressure filled match, Chelsea’s starting goalkeeper, Ann-Katrin Berger, was sent off. The state of the club’s title fate was up in the air; playing with 10 players after a period of time where the Blues just have not played their best football was not the best situation. Swedish goalkeeper Zecira Musovic came on the field in place of Bethany England in a situation where Chelsea’s title-winning season was at the threat of collapsing. If the Blues win the WSL title, the moment Musovic stepped into the match at the Hive could be remembered as the performance that saved the season.

People always talk about being a superstar in your own role. Musovic made one of the saves of the season in the second half to keep the game tied at one all. She deflected a shot with her left hand that was heading toward the top corner. Tottenham wingback Kerys Harrop thought she had shocked the WSL with a goal that might have broken the internet. Musovic stopped all of that in its tracks, and without her leadership and willingness to always stay ready, the script to the Blues’ story in 2022 could unfold in a whole different way. While Sam Kerr and Jessie Fleming were the ones that gave Chelsea the win, the Blues could have been fighting for something totally different in the final month of the season if it weren’t for the No. 2 goalkeeper.

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Zecira Musovic saved the Chelsea Women’s season against Tottenham

The Swedish international has been at Chelsea for only a year. After Carly Telford left west London for the San Diego Wave in the National Women’s Soccer League, Musovic knew she was able to step into a much larger role. Before she signed a contract with Chelsea in December of 2020, Musovic played for one of the top clubs in Sweden, FC Rosengard, for eight years. During her time in Malmo, she triumphed in the OBOS Damallsvenskan four times, as well as the Svenska Cupen Damer, which she won during three of her seasons there.

While she is not the No. 1 choice keeper, Musovic has played a key role in getting Chelsea into the position to be able to fight for two trophies in the month of May. In total, Musovic has played in nine WSL league matches this season, an improvement from the two that she was given in her debut campaign.

Her most memorable appearance—other than the one that she made against Spurs—was back in mid-March against Aston Villa. It was a frustrating game overall for the Blues as they struggled to finish off a plethora of goal-scoring chances. However, Musovic was the one that conducted the game-changing goal by drilling the ball up the pitch toward a determined Kerr, who finally found a way past the Villa keeper Hannah Hampton.

This season, Musovic holds the second-highest save percentage out of any keeper in the WSL that has made eight or more appearances. The player with the highest save percentage is her teammate, Berger. She is the only keeper this season to record an assist, but it was not an ordinary assist as it was one that led to the game-winning goal in stoppage time. Musovic has started 12 matches in total during the 2021/22 season, and Chelsea is 10-0-2 in those contests. She may not be as athletic or versatile as Berger, but when given the opportunity to play between the sticks, she takes full advantage.

Musovic will make yet another start due to the red card of Berger in the previous fixture when the Blues take on Tottenham again later this week. Any questions of whether or not Chelsea should be concerned that its second string goalkeeper is going to be in net in another do-or-die match should be squashed. Musovic has stepped into multiple situations this season. She’s done a phenomenal job in doing what she was asked to do—and then some. Berger will be back into the team against Birmingham City, and while her incredible talents in goal will be missed, Musovic has shown that she has the potential to be a very good goalkeeper in the WSL.

How do you think Musovic will fare against Tottenham later this week? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or on Twitter!