The Super Eagles of Nigeria defeated the Reggae Boys of Jamaica via penalty shoot-outs to win the Unity Cup at the 2025 Unity Cup, Soccernet.ng reports.
After beating Ghana in the Jollof derby on Wednesday, Nigeria sealed date with Jamaica, who beat Trinidad and Tobago, in the final of the Unity Cup.
On paper, Nigeria had the better quality and were the slight favourites to win. And it seemed like it would be an easy roll for them, as they grabbed the opener just nine minutes into the fixture.
Leicester City star Wilfred Ndidi located Cyriel Dessers with a fine pass from the halfway line. The Rangers star, who was lurking in the final third, ran to the ball and sent a cross into the area.
Nantes star Moses Simon, made no mistake, as he ran to the ball and just poked it past Shaquan Davis in Jamaica's goal to make it 1-0.
Moses Simon gets Nigeria in front but the goal would only last for 3mins as Jamaica gets back on level terms. pic.twitter.com/2VjGv0BxBS
— MikeThePundit (@Mike_ThePundit) May 31, 2025
Unfortunately for the Super Eagles, their joy did not last long, as Jamaica pulled one back just three minutes later.
This time, Nigeria's backline collapsed. Renaldo Cephas beat Ismaila Sodiq for pace on the left side of the pitch. Then, he sent a low cross into the area. Stanley Nwabali misread the situation and quickly ran out of his line to gather the ball. But he failed, allowing Jamaica to capitalize. Kaheim Dixon took advantage and just guided the ball into the net to make it 1-1.
⏱️ Halftime at the Unity Cup Final!
If you missed the goals, here’s how the first half unfolded:
Moses Simon fired Nigeria into the lead with a brilliant opener.
Kaheim Dixon responded swiftly for Jamaica, leveling the score.It's been a fiery first half filled with… pic.twitter.com/5fCgpzm3BZ
— Rovatel Media (@rovatelmedia) May 31, 2025
The Super Eagles were the better side in the first half. Samuel Chukwueze, who was playing a free role looked really lively and tried to create openings in Jamaica's defence. But they failed to score again.
In the second half, Chelle's boys came out all guns blazing. And they needed just eight minutes to regain the lead.
Chukwueze collected the ball from Nathan Tella in front of the box, dribbled past his marker, and struck a wicked shot that nestled in the bottom-left corner of Jamaica's net to make it 2-1.
Chukwueze makes it two for the @NGSuperEagles of Nigeria against Jamaica | #MaxSports #Jamaica #MaxTV
Watch the live match here https://t.co/nyt6mWB4mQ pic.twitter.com/EPCHaqslbL
— Max TV Ghana (@maxtvgh) May 31, 2025
Still, that lead did not last. Just ten minutes later, the Reggae Boyz struck again, and it was almost the same way they scored the first.
Cephas beat Sodiq for pace on the left and sent a low cross into the box. Unfortunately, the Super Eagles defenders went to sleep, as Jonathan Russell got to it and sent the ball to the roof of the net, leaving Nwabali rooted to the spot.
After conceding, the Super Eagles continued to dominate the game, but they failed to score, despite chances for Wilfred Ndidi and Tolu Arokodare.
After 90 minutes, the game went straight into a penalty shoot-out. The Super Eagles converted all five of their kicks, with Kelechi Iheanacho, Moses Simon, Tolu Arokodare, Bruno Onyemaechi, and Christantus Uche all scoring, while Marseil converted four of their five kicks, ensuring that Nigeria claimed a 5-4 win.
