The Super Eagles of Nigeria marked their return to the Unity Cup with a 2-1 victory over the Black Stars of Ghana in a lively semi-final clash at the Brentford Community Stadium in London on Wednesday, May 28.

Back in the competition for the first time since winning its maiden edition in 2004, Nigeria named a reshuffled squad this time around. Big names like Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman, and Alex Iwobi were all absent, making way for a mix of experience and home-based talent. Captain Ahmed Musa made his return, while Remo Stars duo Ismaila Sadiq and Sikiru Alimi were handed starting roles. Ghana were also without some of their regulars, including Arsenal’s Thomas Partey, West Ham’s Mohammed Kudus, and Bournemouth striker Antoine Semenyo.

About 14 minutes into the encounter, Cyriel Dessers opened the scoring, finishing off a fine cross from Sadiq, who had hustled the ball down the flank from near the halfway line. Not long after, Nigeria doubled their lead as Razak Simpson turned the ball into his net under pressure, wrapping up a dominant first-half showing from the Eagles.

Ghana came out with more bite in the second half and eventually pulled one back through Brandon Thomas-Asante in the 70th minute. It was the forward’s first goal in the colours of Ghana, but it wasn’t enough to stop Nigeria from seeing out the win and booking a place in Saturday’s final.

The result extended Nigeria’s recent dominance against Ghana to four wins and one draw in five matches.

Up next, the Super Eagles will face Jamaica in the final, after the Caribbean side edged Trinidad and Tobago in Tuesday’s semi-final. Ghana and Trinidad will square off in the third-place match, as the Unity Cup returns to the spotlight after a 21-year hiatus.