Duro Ikhazuagbe 

Super Eagles duo of Ola Aina and Taiwo Awoniyi will not be playing in the English FA Cup final after their Nottingham Forest lost their semi final clash with Manchester City 2-0 on Sunday evening.

Both Nigerians were looking forward to playing at Wembley on May 17 in the final clash with Crystal Palace.

Defender Aina was not in action yesterday against City as he’s yet to fully recover from the calf injury that has sidelined him for weeks.

Taiwo Awoniyi who came on into the game for Chris Wood in the 71st minute clipped an effort against the post and once City’s keeper Stefan Ortega kept out Nicolas Dominguez’s header at full stretch from another opportunity, Forest knew it was not going to be their day as City booked a Wembley return.

The win was a third successive FA Cup final for Man City.

Pep Guardiola’s side set up a Wembley showpiece on 17 May against Crystal Palaceat the same time as they relinquished a four-year hold on the Premier League trophy after Liverpool beat Tottenham Hotspur to become championson Sunday.

City were in control from the first whistle on a balmy day in London and will now 

aim to end a disappointing season on a high by lifting the famous cup trophy for the eighth time in their history.

With their supporters outnumbered in the stands, the City players silenced the Forest following inside just two minutes as the impressive Mateo Kovacic found Rico Lewis on the edge of the box and the 20-year-old drilled an unerring finish into the bottom corner.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s men should have levelled seconds after the restart, though, when Callum Hudson-Odoi rolled a pass across the box, but Anthony Elanga, on his 23rd birthday, sent his first-time effort wide of the post from eight yards.

City made the former Manchester United winger pay dearly for that miss as six minutes into the second half they doubled their lead – centre-back Josko Gvardiol rising highest to power home a header from Omar Marmoush’s corner.