Coach Eric Chelle sent out a barely-recognizable squad in the first game in his defence of the Unity Cup that he won with the three-time African champions a year ago, with forward Femi Azeez announcing his arrival with a brace, and Chibuike Nwaiwu confirming his challenge for a spot in the defence.
A brace in each half from Femi Azeez gave Nigeria a 2-0 win in the first semi-final of the 2026 Unity Cup.
Femi Azeez Big Arrival
Azeez, who plays for Millwall FC in the English Championship, swiftly put Nigeria in the lead after only five minutes, when he finished off a great team move with a left-footed rocket that goalkeeper Future Sibanda could not stop.
In the second half, Azeez netted his and Nigeria’s second of the night after beating Sibanda in the box following another swift team move, with Otele finding Terem Moffi, who then located the Millwall man in the vital area.
Nwaiwu is Business Like in Eagles Defence.
Former Enyimba defender, Chibuike Nwaiwu, took Nigerians on a memory lane, showing what hard tackling was like in the days of Taribo West, Okechukwu Uche, among others, adding finesse to show why he is the next best defensive discovery for Chelle and his crew.
Eight minutes later, Marshall Munetsi had sight of the Nigerian goal, but saw his shot blocked by Turkey-based centre-back Chibuike Nwaiwu. Nwaiwu combined beautifully with Czech Republic-based Igoh Ogbu and home-boys Oputa and Igboke to make the Nigerian defence impregnable.
Jordan Zemura shot over the sticks in the 32nd minute, and 10 minutes later, Nwaiwu had to produce a solid tackle inside the box to stop the advancing Junior Zindoga.
Arthur Okonkwo Joins Goalkeeping Mix
Wrexham goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo kept a clean sheet on his international debut with little testing.
In the 71st minute, Okonkwo had to stretch full length to deny the Warriors, as they poured forward in numbers searching to minimize the damage.
Before the save, the former Arsenal goalkeeper was having a quiet game, showing off his distribution skills.
The Best of The Rest
Fielding mostly new boys playing for the first time together, Chelle’s team took full command of the Charlton Athletic Stadium (The Valley) on Tuesday and handed a stinging 2-0 defeat to the Warriors of Zimbabwe in the first semi-final of this year’s Unity Cup Football Tournament.
As Nigeria maintained firm control of the proceedings, Coach Chelle gave opportunities to Tosin Oyedokun, Owen Oseni, Rafiu Durosinmi, and Aderemi Adeoye to also earn their first caps for Nigeria.
In Saturday’s Final at the same venue, the Super Eagles will take on the winner of Wednesday’s second semi-final between last year’s runners-up, Jamaica and India.
