Unity Cup: Chelle praises Super Eagles teamwork despite little training time

By our reporter 27.5.2026
Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle said he was impressed by the cohesion of his team as they beat Zimbabwe 2-0 in Tuesday night’s Unity Cup at The Valley Stadium in Charlton near London.
Femi Azeez made his debut with the national team count as he scored a brace to lift Nigeria above the Zimbabwe Warriors. The team featured mostly new faces who are trying to impress the coach and be part of the regular Super Eagles.
The debutants who made the starting 11 include goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo, Chibueze Oputa, Obinna Igboke and Femi Azeez. While Rafiu Durosinmi, Tosin Oyedokun, Owen Oseni and Aderemi Adeoye entered the game as substitutes in the second half.
“The players worked a lot during the two days — two training sessions of three hours each — so they worked a lot and deserved this victory,” Chelle said
“We played with two systems in that game, 4-4-2 diamond and 4-2-3-1. I was happy because they played well. I was surprised because it seemed as though they had been playing together for six months or one year. The reality is that it was the first time. At the end of the first half, there was nothing to say.”
The Super Eagles will face the winner between Jamaica and India on Saturday a winner will make it for times in a row they will be winning the Unity Cup.