When Femi Azeez was told after the final whistle against Zimbabwe that he had become the first player this century to score twice on his Super Eagles debut, his response was the kind of quiet, unbothered confidence that had defined everything he did at The Valley on Tuesday night, Footynaija.com reports.
The 24-year-old Millwall winger arrived in the Nigeria squad off the back of a career-best Championship season, scoring 11 goals and contributing seven assists to earn the EFL Championship Player of the Season award, but making an immediate impact at international level is never guaranteed, regardless of club form.
Azeez made it look effortless. He opened the scoring inside five minutes with a long-range right-footed drive from beyond 35 yards, assisted by Terem Moffi, before adding a second on 63 minutes after sliding in to finish a cutback from the same player.
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Nigeria won 2-0 and marched into the Unity Cup final.
After the match, Azeez was relaxed and honest about what the moment meant.
“I didn’t know that,” he said, in a report by Premium Times, after learning of his historic feat.
“It’s a good feeling, I guess. It’s an honour.”
He described the first goal as instinctive, the kind of shot that required no deliberation.
“When Moffi passed the ball back to me and I saw that, I was going for it. I didn’t even think twice. I just went for it.”
His performance was no accident. Chelle had given his attacking players clear licence to express themselves, and Azeez ran with it.
“The manager gave us freedom, especially in the final third, to do what we want and express ourselves. That’s why we’re here at the end of the day. Yeah, obviously excitement, comfort, you know, just expression,” he said.
Chelle had reportedly compared Azeez’s style to Michael Olise’s before the tournament, and he showed exactly why on the night, combining directness, technical quality and an ability to produce in big moments.
“Yeah, I was too pumped at the end of the game,” he admitted.
Nigeria face the winners of Jamaica versus India in Saturday’s final.
