Christantus Uche convert the winning penalty as Nigeria beat Jamaica 5-4 in a shootout to win the Unity Cup, defending the title they had 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. 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 Kaheim Dixon equalised almost immediately. It remained level heading into the break, before Samuel Chukwueze worked the ball onto his left foot and drilled a finish into the bottom corner. Jamaica equalised for a second time just after the hour mark through Jonathan Russell, as the final went to penalties and Atkinson’s missed prove decisive.
Jamaica vs Nigeria latest news
- GOAL! Russell levels up final again
- GOAL! Chukwueze puts Super Eagles back in front
- GOAL! Dixon equalises immediately
- GOAL! Simon gives Nigeria early lead
- How to watch: Premier Sports
In case you missed it...
19:47 , Matt VerriGhana comfortably saw off Trinidad and Tobago 4-0 early today to secure third place in the 2025 Unity Cup.
A relatively inexperienced Black Stars squad was inspired by a stellar performance from captain Jordan Ayew, who opened the scoring mere minutes into the afternoon’s proceedings with a curling effort from outside the box.
The Leicester City forward then delivered the corner which was headed home by defender Razak Simpson six minutes later, before laying the ball off for Mohammed Fuseini to rifle in a third of the match before half-time.
Ayew, who had several other chances throughout his hour-long appearance, was in the area again just prior to his second-half withdrawal but this time wasn’t needed as Lawrence Agyekum’s effort from a tight angle squeezed through the legs of Jabari St Hillaire, taking a deflection off the Trinidad and Tobago goalkeeper on its way into the net.
Nigeria won the Unity Cup in 2004... and they’ve done it again in 2025!
They’ve had to wait nearly two decades, but the Super Eagles have defended their crown.
No other country has other won this competition.
Nigeria win the penalty shootout 5-4!
19:12 , Matt VerriAll eyes on Uche. Can he win it for Nigeria?
Yes he can!
Nigeria win the Unity Cup!
GOAL! Jamaica 4-4 Nigeria
19:11 , Matt VerriWell then... Bell has to score.
And he does. Just. Lifted past the goalkeeper, who initially looked to have got there.
Nigeria with a spot-kick to win it.
GOAL! Jamaica 3-4 Nigeria
19:10 , Matt VerriOnyemaechi dispatches his spot-kick and there’s a huge roar!
Nigeria within touching distance of victory.
MISS! Jamaica 3-3 Nigeria
19:09 , Matt VerriAtkinson takes his time.. and then smashes it off the top of the bar and over!
He stands there stunned for about ten seconds.
GOAL! Jamaica 3-3 Nigeria
19:09 , Matt VerriArokodare with a brilliant spot-kick.
Lifts it towards the top corner, in off the woodwork. No saving that.
GOAL! Jamaica 3-2 Nigeria
19:08 , Matt VerriOver to Morrison, as the pressure starts to build.
Goalkeeper does guess correctly this time but there’s enough power on it.
GOAL! Jamaica 2-2 Nigeria
19:07 , Matt VerriSimon basically walks up to the ball, but still good enough to find the corner.
Neither goalkeeper has gone the right way yet.
GOAL! Jamaica 2-1 Nigeria
19:06 , Matt VerriHayden... whips his spot-kick into the bottom corner.
Three good penalties so far.
GOAL! Jamaica 1-1 Nigeria
19:05 , Matt VerriIheanacho to get Nigeria up and running in the shootout.
Stuttering run-up... sends the goalkeeper the wrong way!
GOAL! Jamaica 1-0 Nigeria
19:04 , Matt VerriKing first up for Jamaica... makes no mistake!
Perfect start.
We’ve had the coin toss... not sure there’s much of an advantage at either end.
Steve McClaren strolling around the pitch, speaking to his players.
Shootout a minute or so away.
FT: Jamaica 2-2 Nigeria
18:58 , Matt VerriThat’s full-time in west London and it’s still level.
We all know what that means...
Penalty shootout coming up in the Unity Cup final!
Jamaica 2-2 Nigeria
18:55 , Matt Verri90 mins: That was nearly the winner!
Ndidi is free 20 yards out, ball bounces up for him... fires just wide.
Three minutes added on.
Jamaica 2-2 Nigeria
18:52 , Matt Verri87 mins: Long throw flung into the Jamaica box.
Too long, Davis claims... and then immediately lumps it long.
Three minutes of normal time left for either side to find a winner.
Jamaica 2-2 Nigeria
18:49 , Matt Verri85 mins: Penalty shootout is getting closer and closer...
Pressure really building on the Jamaica defence though, Hayden has to slide in to concede a corner.
Jamaica 2-2 Nigeria
18:46 , Matt Verri81 mins: Jamaica swiftly break... Agu forced into a last-ditch challenge on the halfway line.
If he got that wrong, he was getting sent off or Jamaica were clean through.
Jamaica 2-2 Nigeria
18:45 , Matt Verri79 mins: Chukwueze decides to try and do it all by himself again, wins a corner.
Taken short, eventually dinked in... and Jamaica hack it behind for another corner.
Jamaica 2-2 Nigeria
18:37 , Matt Verri73 mins: Corner for Nigeria, swung in right on top of Davis.
He is under no pressure, but still spills it and very nearly gifts Dessers a tap-in.
Reacts in time to make up for that error and regather the ball.
Jamaica 2-2 Nigeria
18:35 , Matt Verri70 mins: Cephas played through on goal, but Nwabali reads it well and charges off his line to smother the shot.
Jamaica need to keep getting the ball to Cephas, he’s been so dangerous.
Jamaica 2-2 Nigeria
18:32 , Matt Verri67 mins: Plenty of space on offer for both sides, it’s opened right up.
Chukwueze drives into the box, onto his left foot... this time it’s fired straight at the goalkeeper.
GOAL! Jamaica 2-2 Nigeria | Jonathan Russell 64'
18:30 , Matt VerriJamaica again hit back!
They attack down the left, Cephas the threat once more and he flashes a great ball in, which Russell turns in.
Jamaica 1-2 Nigeria
18:27 , Matt Verri62 mins: Oh, here we go again.
Ismaila booked, Nigeria full-back needs to be careful now.
Jamaica 1-2 Nigeria
18:23 , Matt Verri58 mins: Long ball out to Tella, who does a couple of kick ups before getting shoved into touch.
Came after Nwabali was booked for losing his head briefly from a corner. Dare say that won’t be the last yellow card we see.
GOAL! Jamaica 1-2 Nigeria | Samuel Chukwueze 53'
18:18 , Matt VerriSuper Eagles are back in front!
Chukwueze looks to be crowded out on the edge of the area, but he works it onto his left foot and drills a brilliant finish into the bottom corner.
Jamaica 1-1 Nigeria
18:17 , Matt Verri52 mins: Palmer standing over a free-kick, he’s been lining it up forever.
And at long last... he blasts it into the wall. Not worth the wait.
Jamaica 1-1 Nigeria
18:14 , Matt Verri49 mins: Picked up from where we left off.
Nigeria dominating, Jamaica sat back in their own half... and both sets of players keen to win a free-kick at every opportunity.
Back underway!
18:10 , Matt VerriSecond-half is up and running!
HT: Jamaica 1-1 Nigeria
17:53 , Matt VerriThat is half-time.
It’s been a pretty ill-tempered affair. Nigeria having a huddle on the pitch and there are still a few heads running hot.
Level at the break, after Jamaica cancelled out Simon’s opener within two minutes.
Jamaica 1-1 Nigeria
17:51 , Matt Verri45+1 mins: The cards keep on coming.
Palmer the latest into the book. Basically tried to kick Chukwueze’s calf into next year, so I’d suggest the yellow was fair enough.
Jamaica 1-1 Nigeria
17:50 , Matt Verri45 mins: Chukwueze has so many chances to pass as he skips down the right.
Opts to cut inside, and further inside, and further inside... and have a shot blocked.
Two minutes added on.
Jamaica 1-1 Nigeria
17:44 , Matt Verri39 mins: There’s been nothing friendly about how this match has been played.
Russell has spent most of the match kicking people and finally the yellow card does come out, after he has a swipe at Ndidi.
Jamaica 1-1 Nigeria
17:39 , Matt Verri35 mins: Simon swings it in, Holgate flicks a header behind for a corner.
Comes to Tella, he falls over but referee isn’t interested and Jamaica can break.
Cephas absolutely flying down the wing, but Agu does superbly to stop him.
Jamaica 1-1 Nigeria
17:38 , Matt Verri33 mins: It’s all got very stop-start.
Russell now gives away a needless free-kick, decent position this for Nigeria.
Jamaica 1-1 Nigeria
17:32 , Matt Verri28 mins: Onyeka has been down for a couple of minutes, eventually someone decides to pay attention to him.
He got a shove off the ball by King, not sure how that’s kept him down for so long.
Sure he’ll be ok.
Jamaica 1-1 Nigeria
17:28 , Matt Verri23 mins: Dessers bundles his way into space in the box, gets a shot away.
It’s initially spilled, but Davis just about gathers at the second time of asking.
Jamaica 1-1 Nigeria
17:26 , Matt Verri22 mins: Simon is regularly getting in down the left for Nigeria.
He does well to stop the ball running out of play here, but the cut-back is cleared away.
Nigeria definitely look the more likely to score right now.
Jamaica 1-1 Nigeria
17:23 , Matt Verri19 mins: Shambles of a back pass, Jamaica very nearly in huge trouble.
Davis has to scramble and smashes the ball into Dessers’ face... the striker doesn’t look thrilled with that.
Jamaica 1-1 Nigeria
17:22 , Matt Verri17 mins: Pace of the match has just calmed down a bit after a frantic period.
Nigeria dominating the ball and looking the more dangerous. Jamaica scored with pretty much their only attack of the match.
Jamaica 1-1 Nigeria
17:18 , Matt Verri13 mins: Dixon now shown a yellow card for a late challenge. Caught Dessers on the toe.
It’s all going on in the early stages of this match!
GOAL! Jamaica 1-1 Nigeria | Kaheim Dixon 12'
17:17Immediate response!
Cephas with a great run down the left, so direct and positive.
He then puts a brilliant ball into the middle and Dixon provides the finishing touch.
GOAL! Jamaica 0-1 Nigeria | Moses Simon 10'
17:14 , Matt VerriNigeria lead!
Dessers gets in behind, he rolls the ball across the face of goal and Simon is there just outside the six-yard box to finish confidently.
Jamaica 0-0 Nigeria
17:12 , Matt Verri7 mins: Another Nigeria corner coming up, as Simon’s cross is deflected behind.
Again Jamaica deal with it well, though.
Jamaica 0-0 Nigeria
17:09 , Matt Verri4 mins: Nwabali comes off his line, doesn’t get anywhere near the ball and finds himself in an awkward spot.
Luckily for him, Dixon is forced wide and the empty net isn’t found.
Jamaica 0-0 Nigeria
17:07 , Matt Verri2 mins: Early Nigeria corner, taken short and eventually crossed in... Jamaica deal with it.
Chukwueze has made a very bright start on the left wing.
KICK-OFF!
17:05 , Matt VerriUnderway in the Unity Cup final!
Anthems done, handshakes done.
Time to get up and running!
Here we go!
16:59 , Matt VerriTeams are out onto the pitch at the Gtech.
Really good atmosphere, both teams well supported in the stands.
Not long now...
16:50 , Matt VerriTen minutes to go until kick-off, as the warm-ups come to an end.
It’s a glorious afternoon in west London, perfect conditions for this match.
Pretty much is just a friendly - but always means a bit more when it’s a final of sorts!
Steve McClaren enjoying himself!
16:39 , Matt VerriThe former England manager took charge of Jamaica last summer and it’s fair to say he quickly settled in.
Always been one to adapt to his new surroundings...
Coach McClaren speaks on his first training session with the Reggae Boyz, and tried his hand at patois - how did he do? 👀#jamaicalandwelove #reggaeboyz2026 #reggaeboyz pic.twitter.com/xeq4LeC9Qz
— Official J.F.F (@jff_football) September 5, 2024
Semi-final highlights
16:32 , Matt VerriHere’s how Nigeria booked their place in the final.
Dominant in the first-half against Ghana, but they tired after the break, as their boss Eric Chelle admitted after the match.
Super Eagles did enough to hold on though.
Highlights Unity Cup. Nigeria 2-1 Ghana pic.twitter.com/KeGp3IsXfN
— 🇳🇬 Super Eagles (@NGSuperEagles) May 31, 2025
Jamaica team news
16:23 , Matt VerriStarting XI: Davis, Lembikisa, King, Holgate, Bell, Russell, Hayden, Palmer, Burrell, Dixon, Cephas
Subs: Chambers, Williams, Ming, Leigh, Young, Green, McCalla, Cover, Morrison, Brown, Mothersille, Atkinson
Double debutants
16:15Senior Nigeria debuts this afternoon for Felix Agu and Benjamin Frederick.
Particularly special for Frederick, who is a Brentford player and starts at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Nigeria team news
16:07 , Matt VerriStarting XI: Nwabali; Benjamin, Ogbu, Sodiq, Felix; Wilfred, Nathan, Onyeka; Simon, Chukwueze, Dessers
Subs: Okoye, Ajaye, Uche, Arokodare, Daniel, Onyemaechi, Iheanacho, Nduka, Alimi, Ugwueze, Issac, Adamu
Stand by...
16:01 , Matt VerriWe should be getting all the team news from west London in the next few minutes.
With this match coming at the end of another long, long season, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see plenty of changes.
How Jamaica reached the final...
15:46 , Matt VerriTalk about leaving it late!
2-0 up, pulled back to 2-2... and then scoring a penalty deep into stoppage-time.
And Jamaica win it in stoppage time! 🔥
— Premier Sports (@PremSportsTV) May 27, 2025
Richard King finds the top corner with a decisive penalty kick and it finishes 3-2 with the Reggae Boyz moving on to the Unity Cup final 🇯🇲 pic.twitter.com/BWHWoHvyEH
Nigeria cautious with Ajayi fitness
15:30 , Matt VerriSemi Ajayi has been struggling with hamstring issue this season.
He started against Ghana in the semi-finals of the Unity Cup but came off in the second-half, and Nigeria boss Eric Chelle has hinted the centre-back could be rested this evening.
"We have some players who have to recover because they are coming back after a long injury, like Semi Ajayi," Chelle said. "This is why he did not play the full game.
"Maybe he cannot play [against Jamaica] because we need to be careful with him.
“We are ready. We have a lot of things to give for this final and against Jamaica."
Third-place play-off
15:20 , Matt VerriGhana comfortably saw off Trinidad and Tobago 4-0 this afternoon to secure third place in the 2025 Unity Cup.
A relatively inexperienced Black Stars squad was inspired by a stellar performance from captain Jordan Ayew, who opened the scoring mere minutes into the afternoon’s proceedings with a curling effort from outside the box.
The Leicester City forward then delivered the corner which was headed home by defender Razak Simpson six minutes later, before laying the ball off for Mohammed Fuseini to rifle in a third of the match before half-time.
Ayew, who had several other chances throughout his hour-long appearance, was in the area again just prior to his second-half withdrawal but this time wasn’t needed as Lawrence Agyekum’s effort from a tight angle squeezed through the legs of Jabari St Hillaire, taking a deflection off the Trinidad and Tobago goalkeeper on its way into the net.
Standard Sport prediction
15:11 , Matt VerriNigeria come into this match as the favourites.
The Super Eagles have the star quality in attack and having beaten Ghana already this week, can be expected to complete the job here.
Nigeria to win, 3-1.
Nigeria team news
15:01 , Matt VerriKelechi Iheanacho could lead the line for Nigeria, having started on the bench against Nigeria.
Moses Simon and Ahmed Musa are options to come in if more changes are made, while Wilfred Ndidi played the full 90 minutes last time and could have his workload managed here.
Jamaica team news
14:52 , Matt VerriRavel Morrison, who now plays in the second division in the UAE, could start this afternoon.
He came off the bench in the semi-finals against Trinidad and Tobago but will be hoping for a more significant role here.
Kasey Palmer, Mason Holgate and Isaac Hayden are all likely to start again.
How to watch Jamaica vs Nigeria
14:40 , Matt VerriTV channel: In the UK, the game will not be broadcast on TV.
Live stream: However, Premier Sports subscribers will be able to watch a live stream via the Premier Sports website or the Premier Sports Player app. Coverage starts at 4.55pm BST ahead of a 5pm kick-off.
Live blog: You can follow all the action right here with us!
Good afternoon!
14:28 , Matt VerriHello and welcome to Standard Sport’s LIVE coverage of Jamaica vs Nigeria!
It’s the Unity Cup final, with these sides battling it out in west London at Brentford’s Gtech Community Stadium.
We’ll have all the latest updates, build-up and team news right here ahead of kick-off, which comes at 5pm BST.
