Unity Cup Tournament: Super Eagles edge Black Stars in London thriller

Posted : 29 May 2025

Nigeria and Ghana ignited an electric atmosphere at the Gtech Community Stadium in Brentford on Wednesday, with the Super Eagles coming out on top in a thrilling 2-1 victory that propelled them into Saturday’s final.

A rapturous evening in West London began at a frenetic pace, with Cyriel Dessers putting the Ghanaian defence under constant pressure, and it wasn’t long before he got his reward.

In the 14th minute, defender Sodiq Ismaila darted down the right wing and sent the ball into the box. Dessers took full advantage of a defender who slipped while trying to clear the ball, chested it down brilliantly, and fired past goalkeeper Benjamin Asare.

Five minutes later, another audacious move resulted in a second goal. Samuel Chukwueze delivered the ball into the box from a free-kick 25 yards out, and defender Semi Ajayi’s header deflected off a defender’s body, wrong-footing Asare for Nigeria’s second.

Now in ascendancy, the Super Eagles could have increased their tally two minutes later, but the exciting Dessers saw his cross into the box go begging for a connection.

A roar erupted from the large Ghanaian crowd in the stadium when goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali made a mistake while trying to kick the ball to defender Igoh Ogbu, but the South Africa-based safe hands made a one-handed save to parry the resulting effort away from goal.

Asare denied Sikiru Alimi in the 32nd minute, and at the other end, the Remo Stars’ forward was on hand to head the ball to safety as Ghana launched a free-kick from the left.

Captain Jordan Ayew was a thorn in the Eagles’ flesh throughout the second half, with deft touches that left the Super Eagles’ defenders flummoxed at times. His combination with Christopher Bonsu Baah and Brandon Thomas Asante eventually produced the Black Stars’ only goal with 20 minutes left. Ayew came close to netting the equalizer in the 77th minute but missed the target.

Nigeria will square up against Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz in Saturday’s final, while the Black Stars take on the Soca Warriors of Trinidad and Tobago in the third-place match starting at 12:30 pm.

Jamaica edged another thrilling game on Tuesday, beating the Soca Warriors 3-2 with a penalty kick in added time, and will face the Super Eagles at 5 pm on Saturday.

Unity Cup Tournament: Super Eagles edge Black Stars in London thriller

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