Alhassan Yusuf says he is delighted to have finally opened his goal-scoring account for the Super Eagles, describing the achievement as a proud moment in his international career, Completesports.com reports.
Yusuf scored twice as Nigeria defeated Jamaica 3-0 in the final of the 2026 Unity Cup on Saturday night.
The New England Revolution star was quickest to the ball as goalkeeper Coniah Boyce-Clarke punched the ball following a long throw-in from the left by Kenneth Igboke in the 4th minute.
The midfielder’s second goal was a beauty to behold as he was brilliantly set up by Hamburg winger Philip Otele for him to open his body and let fly from outside the box.
Yusuf Happy To Open Super Eagles Account
Yusuf said scoring his first goals for the Super Eagles was a memorable moment that will stay with him for years to come.
Read Also:Yusuf Bags Brace, Moffi Scores As Super Eagles Thrash Jamaica 3-0 To Retain Unity Cup
“I feel great to win the Unity Cup and score my first goals for the country,” the attacking midfielder said after the game.
“For sure, my family is proud.”
Special Praise For Chelle
The Super Eagles defended their Unity Cup crown in impressive fashion, netting five goals in two games without conceding a single goal.
Yusuf praised head coach Éric Chelle for guiding an experimental Super Eagles side to back-to-back Unity Cup triumphs with a series of impressive performances.
“He did a good job to put together this team of new players. We play fantastic football,” he remarked.
Next Challenge For Super Eagles
Next up for the Eagles is a friendly against Poland’s senior men national team at the PGE Narodowy Stadium in Warsaw, on Wednesday. 3rd June.
The three-time African champions will also take on former European champions Portugal in another friendly at the Estádio Dr. Magalhães Pessoa in Leiria on Wednesday, 10 June.
By Adeboye Amosu
4 Comments
Alhassan Yusuf, terrem moffi and azeez should be given automatic super eagles jersey for the next afcon……..
From what I am seeing online, I am impressed even though I did not watch their performance…..
But lets still looked them closely in the portugal and poland friendly they we can decide fully….
And what is all these bs I am seeing here online about these ones are TEAM A, these are TEAM B??….
So is it terem moffi of porto, portugal that just won their league that is in you guys immaginary team b list or who??….
I no blame una….
Na because them win the matches na him make una wan dey see them less and see dem finish…..
The less time una so called team A play jamaica how e end???
Omo una better stop that joke o….
Nothing like team a or b here pls…
Some of them you guys are calling team b, play in more elite leagues that most of your team a players…
sharap dere! monki goat lmaoo
Nigeria v Jamaica (3:0): Reflection
So he should celebrate those 2 goals he scored against Jamaica last night (as widely reported in media outlet), so he should. Speaking of Al Hassan Yusuf, he pulled the strings sumptuously in the midfield for Nigeria yesterday with movements, distributions and interactions that should herald his readmission into the Super Eagles A team.
It wasn’t the World Cup trophy, it wasn’t the Africa Cup of Nations trophy, heck it wasn’t even a WAFU trophy, but we will take the Unity Cup. Obscure, yes. Low profile, yes. Largely inconsequential, yes. But we will still hug this trophy like a lover.
So, congratulations to the Eric Chelle’s management team, the players and the entire Super Eagles fandom for joy of what being winners brings.
The final match itself wasn’t played at such a high tempo however, kudos to Jamaica for making the Super Eagles toil, sweat, and bleed for the victory. Some of the Reggae Boys’ crosses were a delicious feast for the eyes, only begging for a deft connection inside Nigeria’s 18 yard box.
When they had possession, they made Nigeria work hard to regain it. They played so well that it was plausible to expect the game to end 1:0.
But no.
Egged on by the boisterous Nigerian fans in the stadium, the Super Eagles turned on the charm when one least expected it.
The movements from our fullbacks were insidious as they supported attacking initiatives. For me, Igboke was the star here, showcasing some neat legovers and willingness to penetrate.
Our centre backs did just enough to help keep the clean sheet by not allowing Jamaica profit from crosses. Our goalkeeper distributed well and did make some routine saves.
The midfield was the beating heart of the team where Nnadi, Tijani and Yusuf cut a wide swath with passes and passion. Tijani, pitch-perfect pass freed up Azeez who produced a sublime legover to ghost his marker before planting his cross on plate for Moffi to power home the second goal.
Honourable mention must be made of one instance when Nnadi did a Usain Bolt to sprint from his own half, past bullets of tackles and stones of harassment to almost reach Jamaica’s 18 yard box: it was great!
As mentioned, Al Hassan Yusuf chewed the scenery with fabulous displays laced with 2 goals: the first, stabbing home wickedly without a care in the world from a rebound and the second, blasting the ball to smithereens with the back of the Jamaican net sent to the ICU (Intensive Care Unit) for the final goal.
The Super Eagles frontline took a bit of a backseat as our midfield ran riot on the night. Still, there was time for Moffi to head home, Azeez to provide an assist, and Durosinmi to bully defenders with his physicality.
The subs too did well with Otele tailoring some good crosses into delicate areas.
Jamaica struggled with Nigeria’s high pressing strategy on occasions as this was the culprit of the second goal they conceded with Durosinmi, Tijani and Azeez all doing a yeoman’s job in the build-up to that goal. The counter-attacking manuovre that gave birth to Nigeria’s final goal was executed as sleek as a mouth being plied with Palm Wine over a tantalisingly tainted tongue, with Otele and ultimately Yusuf delivering the goods from their marsupium of marvel and wonderment.
Next stop now are the friendlies with Portugal and Poland where a more familiar assemblage of Super Eagles players will be hoping to build upon the feel-good factor fabricated by the fabulous collage of players who had moved heaven and earth to take this Unity Cup by storm thereby writing their names in the folklore of Super Eagles mythology.
Yusuf should be careful. Very careful.
if he continues to perform the way he did at the just concluded Unity Cup, Ngolo Kante might have to sue him for copyright infringement. At a point in the Jamaica game, I had to go wash my face with cold water to clear my head. No be Kante be dis inside Naija jersey? When did Kante switch allegiance to Nigeria? Abi are there 2 Ngolo kantes? Se Kante pe Meji ni?
Hehehehe!
But seriously, I am particularly happy for a reason. For the first time in a long while, we have an SE team that is not dependent on influential individuals. As we already know, with the Team A, no Osimhen, no party. Time and time again, we saw how weak the team became when Osimhen was absent.
But Team B did not get that memo. Without Osimhen, Lookman, Bassey, Iwobi, see how well they played! This team does not rely on any single individual. They function as a team, no drama, no division, just hardworking players fighting for each other.
I think we should make this Team B the core of the squad to face Portugal and Poland. Their compact , disciplined approach makes me more confident in them than the so called big boys, who though talented, seem to lack these qualities. Unlike the Team A “super stars”, the Team B lads are ready to “put leg and put body”. They have shown the kind of commitment and desire we yearned to see.