Result and stakes: Nigeria 2-0 Zimbabwe at The Valley on Tuesday night, the Unity Cup semifinal settled by Femi Azeez. Eric Chelle watched his wide midfielder strike twice, each time from a Terem Moffi pass, in front of 27,000 supporters in south-east London—a result that keeps Nigeria on course for silverware in this invitational window.
The script was written inside five minutes. Moffi drifted into the right channel, spotted Azeez inside the box, and Nigeria led in the fifth minute. It validated Chelle’s call to use Philip Otele narrow and let Azeez burst past the line of Sean Fusire and Corbin Mthunzi. Zimbabwe never recovered from that early shock, their double pivot retreating while Alhassan Yusuf and Samson Tijani gathered second balls.
Nigeria tightened the screws before half time. Arthur Okonkwo was barely involved as Igoh Ogbu and Chibuike Nwaiwu fenced off Junior Zindoga. Tochukwu Nnadi collected a yellow card in the 35th minute for a late challenge, yet the midfield screen held firm. Kenneth Igboke then went into the book in the 59th minute after halting Tawanda Chirewa, the one spell where M. Nees briefly found a channel down Nigeria’s left.
The killer punch arrived in the 63rd minute. It was the same combination, the same outcome: Moffi slipped the ball into space, Azeez finished, and Chelle’s front trio celebrated. The second goal allowed Nigeria to manage workloads. Moffi exited in the 66th minute for Rafiu Durosinmi with the job already done. Otele and Tijani followed in the 77th minute, giving Owen Oseni and Tosin Oyedokun a late run as the tempo dropped.
Zimbabwe’s response was limited to frustration. Mthunzi picked up his yellow card in the 74th minute, clipping Otele after another lost duel. Nees tried to change the rhythm with Abubakar Moffat in the 75th minute, then Tshuma Mongameli and Washington Navaya in the 76th minute, but Nigeria’s back four stayed set. Daniel Msendami’s arrival for Jordan Zemura in the 83rd minute gave Zimbabwe extra pace yet Okonkwo still faced no serious test. Azeez left to applause in the 90th minute, replaced by Aderemi Adeoye after authoring the night.
Key numbers
- Goals: Azeez 5', 63'
- Assists: Moffi 5', 63'
- Bookings: Nnadi 35', Igboke 59', Mthunzi 74'
- Substitutions: Nigeria 66', 77', 77', 90' | Zimbabwe 75', 76', 76', 83'
Nigeria now wait for the other semifinal winner, already pencilling in recovery work before the weekend final. Chelle will review the balance in midfield but Azeez’s production and Moffi’s two assists feel locked for the decider. Zimbabwe leave London searching for a sharper cutting edge as Nees shapes the next training block.
