By Dayo Awoniyi
Nigeria’s Super Eagles claimed back-to-back victories over rivals Ghana with a 2-1 win in the latest edition of the “Jollof Derby,” drawing praise from head coach Eric Chelle for their dominant first-half display.
The Super Eagles overwhelmed Ghana early with a high-pressing, fast-paced style that saw them take a 2-0 lead before halftime.
Despite a second-half resurgence by the Black Stars, Nigeria held firm to secure the win.
“We played a great first half. Second half, we were tired,” Chelle said post-match.
“We deserved our victory, but we have to improve.”
The result marks Nigeria’s second successive victory over Ghana, following their 2-1 win in a friendly in Morocco in March 2024.
Super Eagles goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali added fuel to the rivalry after the match with a playful jab on social media platform X: “Nigerian Jollof better than Ghanaian Jollof.”
Nigeria now turns its attention to the Unity Cup final, where they will face Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz on Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 5:00 p.m.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
