Debutant Femi Azeez scores brace as Super Eagles beat Zimbabwe to advance into Unity Cup final
Millwall forward Femi Azeez scored a brace on his debut for the Super Eagles as defending champions Nigeria defeated Zimbabwe 2-0 in the opening game of the 2026 Unity Cup at the Valley on Tuesday night.
It only took the 24-year-old six minutes into the match to open the scoring for Nigeria when he fired home a ball into the bottom left corner of the net from yards outside the 18-yard box.
Neither side was able to find the net for the remainder of the first half of the semifinal tie.
The majority of the first team regular players were not called up by head coach Eric Chelle for the four-team mini tournament but will feature in Nigeria’s friendly matches against Poland and Portugal in June.
Azeez, however, seized the opportunity to make a case for himself as he scored again in the 63rd minute after slotting home a pass into the box by Terem Moffi to grab his brace of the game and seal the victory for Nigeria.
The Eagles will defend their title against the winner of Wednesday’s second semifinal match between Jamaica and India in the final on May 30.
Wrexham goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo also made his maiden appearance for the Super Eagles after switching his international allegiance from England to Nigeria last month.
Additionally, Tosin Oyedokun, Aderemi Adeoye, Chibueze Oputa and Kenneth Igboke made their debut for the senior team.
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