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.
We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.
More from Peoples Gazette
States
Independence: NBA urges Nigerians to expect better future
The NBA said that ordinary Nigerians should be deriving benefit from the subsidy removal rather than hardship.
Agriculture
FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology
The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices
Politics
Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku
“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”
Politics
Makinde flags off campaign in Oyo, pledges to reset Nigeria
Mr Makinde thanked people who attended the programme, assuring them that they would all reap the dividends of democracy.
Anti-Corruption
54 African countries to converge on Abuja for talks on stolen asset recovery
Mr Mohammed said Africa continues to lose resources critical to its development to corruption and illicit channels.
World
Cab driver kills wife, mother-in-law, brothers-in-law, their wives, seven-year-old grandson
According to the police, Mr Indushekar first attacked his wife, Ms Sunitha, with a grinding stone, killing her before disposing of her body.
Politics
Atiku has 13 states, will defeat Tinubu in 2027 presidential election, says Amaechi
Mr Amaechi said the North-Central region would be a battleground.
Politics
Plateau: Tinubu begs for forgiveness after Palm Sunday killings snub
Mr Tinubu urged Plateau people to vote for him and his party, promising a peaceful election.
States
Wike, friends, associates donate N100 million for Rivers church harvest
The donation was made during the funeral service for the late Eze Nyemenum I of Rumuokwuta, Edward Chinda.
