With all eyes on Budapest and the Champions League final, there was a trophy to be won in south London, the Unity Cup, and the Super Eagles of Nigeria retained their crown with a comfortable win at The Valley yesterday.
The final, played at The Valley in Charlton, London, saw the three-time African champions extend their dominant record in the competition, defeating the Reggae Boyz in a repeat of last year’s final.
Alhassan Yusuf’s brace and Terem Moffi’s header sealed the dominant win as Nigeria have now claimed all four editions of the Unity Cup since its inception, having previously lifted the trophy in 2002, 2004, 2025, and now 2026.
Head coach Eric Chelle made only one change to the side that defeated Zimbabwe 2-0 in the semifinal on Tuesday. Rafiu Durosinmi was introduced into the starting lineup to partner Terem Moffi and Femi Azeez in attack, while Philip Otele was dropped from the squad.
Jamaica, on the other hand, booked their place in the final after defeating India 2-0 in the other semifinal, with goals from Courtney Clarke and Kaheim Dixon.
Nigeria, wearing their white away kit, made the perfect start and took the lead after just three minutes. A long throw into the Jamaican penalty area caused confusion in the defence, and while goalkeeper Coniah Boyce-Clarke managed to parry the initial effort, Alhassan Yusuf reacted quickest to fire home the rebound and put the Super Eagles ahead.
The early goal allowed Nigeria to settle into the match and dictate proceedings. They controlled the tempo as Jamaica struggled to find a way through.
Nigeria continued to dominate for much of the first half, even though clear-cut scoring opportunities were limited. Moffi remained a constant threat with his movement and caused problems for the Jamaican defence throughout the opening period.
The Super Eagles comfortably carried their one-goal advantage into halftime, having controlled most aspects of the game.
The second half picked up where the first left off, with Nigeria firmly in control of the game. However, they were given a brief scare when Dixon went down following a challenge from Arthur Okonkwo, but the referee waved away penalty appeals.
The incident appeared to spark the Super Eagles into life, and they doubled their advantage in the 59th minute. Azeez showed excellent footwork to beat his marker before delivering a pinpoint cross for Moffi to head home.
Azeez continued to be a constant threat and won a free kick on the edge of the box after he was brought down, but his attempt was well saved by Boyce-Clarke.
The Super Eagles put the result beyond doubt in stoppage time with a devastating counter-attack. Substitute Philip Otele picked out Alhassan Yusuf with a perfectly weighted pass, and the midfielder kept his composure before slotting the ball past the goalkeeper to seal a convincing 3-0 victory.
