Nigeria vs Zimbabwe: Femi Azeez shines on debut as Super Eagles brush aside Warriors

A second-string Super Eagles team made light work of Zimbabwe, beating them 2-0 at the Valley Stadium in London, to advance into the Unity Cup final.

Millwall forward Miguel Azeez was the star of the show, scoring a brace on his Super Eagles debut, one in each half, to secure Nigeria's route to the final.

The match was an avenue for debutants and fringe players to get in Eric Chelle's good graces, with the likes of Azeez, Phillip Otele and Arthur Okonkwo taking their chances.

Still, Terem Moffi, the veteran on the side, differentiated himself with his quality of decision-making, assisting Azeez's brace.

Nigeria will square up against the winner of the second semi-final between India and Jamaica in their bid to successfully defend their Unity Cup title.

Zimbabwe struggled to cope with the Super Eagles' pace and physical presence in the final third, finding themselves trailing almost immediately after kickoff.

The Super Eagles wasted no time putting the visitors on the back foot. Femi Azeez received the ball. For the remainder of the first half, Nigeria commanded possession, suffocating Zimbabwe's attempts at building counter-attacks. The Southern African nation fought hard to stay in the game, heading into the halftime break with only a one-goal deficit.

Nigeria were slow out of the gate in the second half, but soon found their groove. Shortly after the hour mark, they doubled their advantage and effectively put the tie to bed. 

Once again, it was Femi Azeez who proved to be the difference-maker. The forward capitalised on a well-worked offensive sequence to secure his brace. Like the first, this goal also survived a VAR check before being awarded, making it 2-0 for the Super Eagles.

Chelle’s side had more opportunities to compound the scoreline but were lacking sharpness upfront. However, they managed to see out the game.