Abdullahi inspires Super Eagles to Unity Cup glory with double against Jamaica

Nigeria retained the Afro-Caribbean Football Tournament (Unity Cup) crown with a confident display that baffled Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz at The Valley on Saturday.

American midfielder Alhassan Yusuf Abdullahi scored a brace to cap a brilliant mini-tournament, with stand-in captain Terem Moffi scoring in the middle to ensure the desperation of the Reggae Boyz crowd in south-east London.

Abdullahi was quickest to the ball when goalkeeper Coniah Boyce-Clarke struck the ball after a long throw-in from the left by Kenneth Igboke in the 4th minute.^th minute.

The Super Eagles’ early advantage, just as it had against Zimbabwe in the semi-final four days earlier, propelled them to a commanding display that left the Reggae Boyz chasing shadows for much of the match.

Coach Eric Chelle made just one change to the team that defeated the Zimbabwe Warriors, bringing in Rafiu Durosinmi as a starter in place of Philip Otele, but the three-time African champions maintained their telepathy and ran the park with style and discipline.

in the 8^th On the minute, goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo was called into action for the first time, but made an easy save when Brown headed the ball in from a Kaheim Dixon cross.

in 35^th In the minute, Nigeria came close to increasing the score, but Clarke read Durosinmi’s shot well as the Eagles broke on the counter.

In the second half, Durosinmi’s header from a Femi Azeez free-kick flew over the posts, but a minute later the Eagles were celebrating when Moffi headed Azeez’s precise cross past Clarke’s flailing arms.

Clarke smartly saved an Azeez free kick on the edge of the area, but Nigeria refused to stop and after snatching the ball into the Jamaican half of the field with a minute of added time, substitute Philip Otele found Abdullahi, whose angled shot proved too much for Clarke and sealed a beautiful victory for the Super Eagles.

The Eagles’ next match will be a friendly against Poland’s senior men’s team at the PGE Narodowy Stadium in Warsaw on Wednesday. 3^third June.