Nigeria beat Zimbabwe 2-0 in the Unity Cup semi-final on Tuesday night at The Valley Stadium in London, with debutant Femi Azeez scoring both goals to send the Super Eagles into the final.
Head coach Eric Chelle was blunt in his assessment of the 24-year-old winger despite the two goals. Speaking after the match, Chelle said Azeez failed to carry out his main instructions to run and press high for the full 90 minutes.
"He scored two goals, congratulations to him. But he lost possession far too often technically, so I'm not happy," Chelle said. "He won the ball back at times, but other times he didn't, so I'm not happy. But for his debut, I can say congratulations to him".
Azeez, who plays for English Championship club Millwall, was making his first senior appearance for Nigeria after recently pledging his international future to the country. He arrived in camp following a strong domestic campaign with 17 goal contributions in 35 league matches.