Nigeria had twice surrendered the lead in normal time but got the job done from the spot
Celebrations: Nigeria beat Jamaica on penalties to win the Unity Cup
Christantus Uche converted the winning penalty as Nigeria beat Jamaica 5-4 in a shootout to win the Unity Cup, defending the title they won 19 years ago.
The friendly tournament was hosted at Brentford’s Gtech Community Stadium and staged for the first time since 2004, when the Super Eagles first got their hands on the trophy.
They did so again here, as after a 2-2 draw in normal time the shootout began with six perfect penalties. Jamaica’s Dwayne Atkinson then stepped up and smashed his effort off the top of the bar and over.
Amari’i Bell made no mistake with his spot-kick to keep Jamaica in it, but Uche had the decisive moment as he calmly slotted home to start the Nigerian celebrations.
It had been an entertaining 90 minutes in west London, with the six yellow cards and several flashpoints suggesting both teams were viewing this as much more than just a post-season friendly.
Moses Simon put Nigeria in front inside ten minutes, finishing from close range after Cyriel Dessers had put a dangerous ball into the middle, but Jamaica were level almost immediately.
Leave a Reply