Millwall forward Femi Azeez scored twice on his international debut as Nigeria beat Zimbabwe in a Unity Cup friendly. Azeez, who has 11 goals and seven assists for Millwall this season, opened the scoring after five minutes with a left-footed drive following a lay-off from captain Terem Moffi and added a second in the second half after Philip Otele set up Moffi, who squared for the finish.
Coach Eric Chelle congratulated Azeez on the goals but flagged technical issues in his overall display. “He scored two goals, so congratulations to him,” Chelle said, adding that Azeez “lost a lot of balls” and “sometimes he didn’t get the ball back,” though he also noted the player won many balls back.
The performance elevated Azeez’s profile in Nigeria and delivered milestones. According to Sports Village Square, he became the first Nigerian in 55 years to score a brace on his debut, the last being Mathias Obianika in November 1971 against Upper Volta. Azeez also became the 62nd Nigerian to score on his senior debut, joining names such as Finidi George, Julius Aghahowa and Obafemi Martins, and the first since Jerome Akor Adams in October 2025. Azeez said he did not know about the record and called it “an honour,” while crediting Chelle’s instructions for giving the team freedom in the final third.
Wrexham goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo, who switched allegiance after FIFA confirmed his eligibility in April, kept a clean sheet on his first senior appearance and made a full-stretch save in the 71st minute to deny Zimbabwe. Chelle urged perspective on the result, calling it “only one game” in a friendly tournament and not comparable to AFCON or World Cup qualifying.
Chelle stressed that the camp is part of a broader plan to refresh the Super Eagles squad following missed opportunities caused by fatigue in recent campaigns. He said the staff will analyze performances after the tournament to decide which players to bring into the team. On Azeez’s place in future matches, Chelle remained noncommittal: “If I wake up in a good state of mind, and I want him in the team against Portugal and Poland, I will say yes. But if I don’t want, I will say no.”
