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By JOE APU
Defending champions Nigeria will be aiming to retain the Unity Cup when they face Jamaica in Saturday’s final at The Valley in London, with Head Coach Eric Chelle insisting the Super Eagles will not underestimate the Reggae Boyz.
Nigeria booked their place in the final after a convincing 2-0 victory over Zimbabwe in Tuesday’s semi-final, while Jamaica also advanced to set up a repeat of last year’s dramatic title clash between both sides.
Coach Chelle praised the performance of his squad against Zimbabwe but hinted that changes could be made to the team, tactics and approach ahead of Saturday’s encounter.
The Super Eagles defeated Jamaica on penalties in the 2025 Unity Cup final after both teams settled for a 2-2 draw in regulation time. Nigeria triumphed 5-4 in the shootout to successfully defend the title they had previously won in 2002 and 2004.
The Unity Cup was first staged in 2002 as a two-team tournament, with Nigeria edging Jamaica 1-0 through a goal by former U17 captain James Obiorah. The Republic of Ireland joined the competition in 2004, but Nigeria again emerged champions, with Bartholomew Ogbeche finishing as top scorer with three goals. The tournament also marked the senior debut of Obafemi Martins, who scored for the Eagles during the competition.
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For Saturday’s final, Chelle is expected to continue experimenting with the relatively fresh squad assembled for the tournament. Wrexham goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo could make his first start after keeping a clean sheet against Zimbabwe.
Defenders Chibueze Oputa, Chibuike Nwaiwu, Igoh Ogbu and Obinna Igboke are also likely to retain their places following an impressive showing in the semi-final. Ogbu, who plays for Slavia Prague in the Czech Republic, made his breakthrough with the national team during last year’s Unity Cup.
In midfield, Tochukwu Nnadi may once again partner Alhassan Yusuf and former Golden Eaglets captain Samson Tijani, while Terem Moffi, Philip Otele and debut sensation Femi Azeez are expected to lead the attack.
Cyprus-based goalkeeper Francis Uzoho, midfielder Tosin Oyedokun and forwards Owen Oseni and Rafiu Durosinmi are also available after making positive impacts from the bench against Zimbabwe.
Azeez was one of the standout performers in Tuesday’s victory, scoring twice on his debut to impress the technical crew. The forward became the first player to score twice on his debut for the Super Eagles since Mathias Obianika achieved the feat in Nigeria’s 4-0 win over Burkina Faso 55 years ago.
The Super Eagles trained at Cray Valley on Thursday and will hold their official pre-match session at The Valley on Friday ahead of the much-anticipated final against Jamaica.
