The Abuja National Stadium throbbed like a living drum.
Green and white flags rippled across sixty thousand seats as brass bands lifted rhythms that felt older than the turf itself. And down the tunnel, Sam laced his SM10 boots, black and gold arcs catching the floodlights.
Kayla blew him a kiss from the family box.
He touched the pendant at his neck, then nodded to Victor Osimhen. "Let's give them something to remember".
The starting XIs were released an hour ahead of the game.
For Nigeria, they started in a familiar 4-2-3-1 formation with Stanley Nwabali in goal, with a defensive lineup of Ola Aina, Troost-Ekong, Calvin Bassey, and Zaidu Sanusi. The two DMs were Wilfred Ndidi and Frank Onyeka.
Upfront were the quadruple of Samuel Chukweze, Ademola Lookman, Victor Osimhen, and Samuel Moses who played as the central attacking midfielder.
