May 31, (THEWILL) – Nigeria claimed the 2025 Unity Cup after defeating Jamaica 4-2 on penalties following a thrilling 2-2 draw at the Gtech Community Stadium in Brentford on Saturday evening.
Christantus Uche, making his international debut, converted the decisive spot-kick to complete a flawless penalty shootout performance from the Super Eagles.
The victory caps off Nigeria’s successful campaign in the inaugural tournament, having previously overcome Ghana in the semi-finals.
The final began at breakneck pace with Nigeria taking the lead through Moses Simon in the ninth minute. Wilfried Ndidi’s incisive pass from midfield found Cyriel Dessers, whose cross was expertly volleyed home by Simon from close range.
Jamaica responded immediately through man-of-match Renaldo Cephas, who terrorised the Nigerian defence with his pace down the left flank before delivering a perfect cross for Kaheim Dixon to tap in after goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali failed to collect.
The second half followed a similar pattern of early Nigerian dominance followed by Jamaican equalisation.
Samuel Chukwueze restored Nigeria’s advantage five minutes after the restart, firing low past Shaquan Davis after a clever dribbling run into the penalty area.
Once again, Cephas proved Jamaica’s catalyst, using his speed to create space before crossing for Jonathan Russell to volley the Reggae Boyz level 10 minutes later.
Neither side could find a winner in the remaining thirty minutes, with both teams creating half-chances but failing to capitalise.
The match proceeded directly to penalties where Nigeria maintained their composure throughout the shootout.
Jamaica’s failure to convert one of their attempts opened the door for Uche, the Getafe midfielder, to step up and fire home the winning penalty to spark wild celebrations among the Nigerian contingent.
Nigeria’s attention now turns to their upcoming friendly fixture against Russia in Moscow on June 6, where coach Eric Chelle will look to build on this tournament success.
The Unity Cup victory represents Nigeria’s first major silverware of 2025 and provides valuable momentum ahead of their faltering World Cup qualifying campaign later this year.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
