Alhassan Yusuf scored two goals and Terem Moffi added another as Nigeria’s Super Eagles outclassed Jamaica to retain the Unity Cup at The Valley on Saturday.
The Super Eagles remain unbeaten in the competition, extending their perfect record and lifting the trophy for a fourth time.
To get to the final the Super Eagles overcame Zimbabwe 2-0 thanks to a brace from Femi Azeez with the assist for the two goals coming from Moffi.
On their part, Jamaica also got to the final courtesy of a 2-0 win against India in the second semifinal.
Yusuf Gives Super Eagles The Perfect Start
But it was the Super Eagles who broke the deadlock just three minutes into the game as Yusuf slotted the ball home, after the Jamaica keeper parried a flicked header from a long throw in to the midfielder’s path.
In the 59th minute the Super Eagles doubled their lead as Moffi, left unmarked inside the box, headed Azeez’s cross into an empty net.
Also Read: EXCLUSIVE — Bonfrere: I’ve No Fears Super Eagles Will Beat Jamaica And Win Unity Cup 2026
Then in the first minute of added time, Yusuf added the third as he ran on to a laid pass by Philip Otele and curled it beyond the reach of the Jamaican keeper.
Zimbabwe Pip India To Clinch Third Place
Meanwhile, in the third placed match played earlier on Saturday, Zimbabwe edged out India 1-0.
A penalty converted by Prince Dube with 10 minutes left to play in the first half, sealed the win for the Warriors.
Both the Super Eagles and Zimbabwe are using the Unity Cup as preparations for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers which will run from September, October and November, all in 2026.
Eric Chelle’s side are in Group L with Tanzania, Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau while Zimbabwe will battle DR Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Sierra Leone in Grouo E.
Poland, Portugal Tests For Super Eagles
Up next for the Super Eagles is a double-header international Friendlies with Poland and 2026 World Cup-bound Portugal in June.
In the first ever meeting with Poland also in a friendly match in 2018, the Super Eagles triumphed 1-0 thanks to a Victor Moses second half penalty.
Against Portugal in 2022 friendly encounter, the 2016 European champions trounced the the Nigerian team under Jose Peseiro 4-0.
By James Agberebi
18 Comments
This unity cup gives me hope for the future.
And this is what we’ve been saying. This team needs new blood, new hunger, new desire, new passion, new zeal. And we’ve been treated to all of that over the course of the 2 games.
Total strange bedfellows playing so good like a well-oiled machine. We’ve gained 1000% more than we would have gained still iterating with the old guard, believing 4 years is a long time coming.
We have Portugal and Poland up next. I would also suggest that fringe players and new players from this tournament be used for both. Anyone with 30 caps and above or 28yrs and older should be excused. We have another 1000% more to gain doing things that way than regurgitating what we’ve been fed by the old guard all over again.
Kudos to the team, players, coaches, and management.
This is such a breath of fresh air.
Na the “big boys” go play next week. This unity cup has put them all in “trouble” to perform. Chelle brought out 2 sets of lists.
I’m so happy we can compare them side by side in the same period.
Trust Nigerians. We go compare both “teams” and quickly ask the ones wey no pull their weight to step aside.
Good job
Philip Otele is a baller, him and Femi Azeez have a bright future with the SE!
People will say it’s friendly and therefore we cannot assess them based on that but how about the clean sheets. We played this same cup with our A team but could not keep clean sheets. We even had to resort to penalties to beat Jamaica. What I’m trying to say is that we or the coach should not take this B team for granted but carefully assess their strength and weaknesses with a view to blending the 2 teams. In my opinion this team have a more fluid or solid midfield than the A team. That’s the reason we kept the clean sheets. Another area is compactness. Seems they run more than our so called big boys. I will suggest the use the as the core for Portugal and Poland . Let’s see where we stand..
Pls ees like I said on de oda tread –
Let de team couch Erics Chelse , organised a march between SE team A vs SE team B and wash de march very closly to obserf 3 tins:
1) who wii won de game
2) how dey looks wile winning de game, dat ees whu or wish team ees more classy an look more dangaroust as a collectif team and then
3) Make a brown new teams fron de best parfomas fron de two team and den we wii had the new SE.
Dis ees my own adfise to the couch Erics Cheles.
Simples.
5 goals scored in 2 games, none conceded.
3 of the goals came from Azeez and Moffi. 2 goals for Azeez against ZIm, both assisted by Moffi. Then Azeez returns the favour with a splendid assist for Moffi to score against Jamaica.
How about Yusuf giving us the Ngolo Kante vibes and contributing 2 lovely goals?
Impressive team performance.
If we had used this team for the world cup qualifiers, story for different ooo.
I mean, the team we used was filled to the brim with “super stars”, but result no gree come for pitch.
This Unity Cup squad, no big stars, just a good coach working with a bunch of hard working, hungry, determined players.
While I”m not carried away by the result, I have to give credit where it is due. Zim and Jamaica may not be big teams, but they are no pushovers either. DRC had to struggle to beat Jamaica 1-0 in the world cup playoffs. This same Jamaica we tore to shreds today.
NFF Onigbese, unu well done ooo!
Good job boys the future looks secured with this kind of performance. Let’s see what team A will do against Poland and Portugal. The coach has really impressed me
Yes oh. The “mighty” DRC could only score Jamaica in the 100th minute of extra time.
Shebi the “big boys’ prefer Poland and Portugal friendlies and oh, NFF too (both countries are hosting us), anyone who doesn’t measure up will have to give way.
Incidentally, Alhassan used to be called Kante when he was playing in Sweden.
That MLS move did more harm than good to his career
Or did more good to his career?Because he’s starting to shine now,both for club and country respectively..
Besides he’s still 23,could still go back to Europe,with his current form,it may happen this summer.
He could have long shone earlier.
For a player who has won the Swedish Cup, as well as the Belgian League, Cup and Super Cup, imagine a move to France or Germany, to a Monaco, Marseille, Lyon, Frankfurt or Freiburg after leaving Royal Antwerp. Some of the eyebrows being raised at every one of his invitations wouldn’t be raised.
Up till now, he’s been seen by many, including you perhaps, as filling a northern quota in the SE, not his club career earning him invitations. And I am sure many, including myself, still largely see it as that; otherwise, I could mention at least 5 others who should have taken his place in most SE invitations in recent times.
You forget he was part of our 2023 AFCON squad, yet on the far fringes of the SE up till now, only getting his first start in 2 years (just 7 matches in between) on Wednesday. A good club move would have surely done much better for him.
And as for that age talk…..can we kindly ignore that for now…? You and I know there’s no way in hell Alhassan is younger or of the same age as Author Okonkwo.
We’d better make hay with him now, instead of thinking he still has time to grow. That guy is an old man wrapped in a small body
Can we also play Portugal and Poland with this team so we can properly gauge where we stand. Our A team could not keep clean sheets against this same teams .. this team has something special which the A team does not have .. Chelle can employ a video analyst to allow see what wrong with our A team. I swear this team for give us world cup ticket with or without Osihmen. From my own little knowledge of dynamics I think what stands this team up higher than the A team is the midfield.. its more fluid and aggressive. I don’t think Morocco for beat us if we use this kind midfield.. the coach should just carve out this midfield to the A team. Let’s forget name and see how it goes against Poland and Portugal .
Great job. We can see a coach who has a philosophy. Who has a plan. A coach who knows what he wants.
Check the way this team played and that of afcon. Same philosophy. Same idea. Same ideology.
There is also this good thing about organization. The use of fringe players in this competition..This is like when Westerhof had team A team and even team C that played WAFU cup then.
Pompeii if finidi had used these players during qualifiers we wouldn’t have done very well.. this is coaching at its best.
Dr drey, any commen about the coach.
@Dr Drey,Haha,your last paragraph totally cracked me up,very funny!
Rightly,I am not a fan of Yusuf until now.Though we have heard lot’s of good things he was doing in the MLS,this tournament in London just confirmed he’s at the top of his game.
I was astonished too when he left Europe.I was hoping on the back of his performances especially against Barcelona in the champions league,you would expect such courageous display will pave way for a better league,unfortunately for Yusuf,it wasn’t the case.
However,like the popular phrase,”a golden fish has no hiding place”such is the case of Yusuf,hopefully,Oputa,Ogbuike,Otele,Femi Azeez and Samson Tijani.
Moving forward, only 15 players should be retained. The 15 players that were in action for at least 180 mins should be retained.
Chelle should give more opportunities to the midfield trio that played this tournament.
Samson Tijani, Femi Azeez, Otele and Durosinmi should be added to the Poland and Portugal friendlies..
I meant 15 players from the AFCON team.
Listening to Chelle postmatch interview it appears to me that he is committed to upgrading the team with new players.
The fact that he mentioned Azeez, Alhassan, Tijani, and Nnadi, along with Fredericks shows he’s got a plan for the next phase..
I hope the next nff excos and the technical commitee are made of smart, committed and honest administrators.
This Unity Cup squad, no big stars, just a good coach working with a bunch of hard working, hungry, determined players. Quote from prompei. That is the highlight of the unity cup. The coach is really working hard to find young players who plays to his thirst… We move