The Black Stars of Ghana suffered a 2-1 loss to arch-rivals Nigeria in their Unity Cup encounter at the Gtech Community Stadium in London.

Head coach Otto Addo named a relatively youthful and experimental lineup, with two players making their senior national team debuts on the night.

The match was marked by frequent fouls and misplaced passes as both teams struggled to find rhythm early on.

Nigeria began the game on the front foot and took the lead in the 14th minute.

Remo Stars defender Ismaila Sodiq whipped in a teasing cross from the right, which slipped past Nations FC defender Razak Simpson and was emphatically finished by Cyril Dessers, giving goalkeeper Benjamin Asare of Hearts of Oak no chance.

Things went from bad to worse for Simpson just five minutes later when he accidentally deflected a header from Semi Ajayi into his own net, doubling Nigeria’s advantage before halftime.

Ghana came out more aggressive in the second half, energized by the introduction of FC Nordsjaelland youngster Caleb Yirenkyi and Coventry City forward Brandon Thomas-Asante.

Thomas-Asante halved the deficit with his first Ghana goal in the 70th minute, expertly volleying home from an Ebenezer Annan cross after a quick counterattack.

Despite late pressure from the Black Stars, they were unable to find an equaliser.

Nigeria progressed to the final, where they will meet Jamaica, while Ghana will face Trinidad and Tobago in the third-place playoff on Saturday.