At this time that the Super Eagles are struggling to qualify for the 2015 Nations Cup, it may be comforting and reassuring to bring back memories of Nigeria’s greatest performances and victories on the field of play. The question is, can the present Eagles give Nigerians something as memorable as any of these matches in the near future?
1. Nigeria 3 vs. Algeria 0 (1980 Nations Cup Final)
March 12, 1980. Nigeria won her first Nations Cup trophy amidst wild cheers from the home fans at the National Stadium Lagos, chief of them President Shehu Shagari. The efforts of the Green Eagles (with an extensive preparation in Brazil before the tournament) were rewarded as the players wrote their name in gold. Segun Odegbami was the brightest of the lot, scoring two first half goals for Nigeria – classical goals they were! Late Muda Lawal made up for his number of misses in the first half to score the third from close range early in the second half. It was a most memorable evening for the players, fans and the entire country as a whole.
2. Nigeria 2 vs. Germany 0 (1985 FIFA U-17 Final)
History was made in China when Nigeria won the maiden edition of the FIFA U-17 tournament, becoming the first African country to win a global FIFA organized competition. The Golden Eaglets had left no one in doubt of their aspiration from the commencement of the championship, defeating all their opponents except Saudi Arabia which ended in a barren draw. By the time they got to the final, they were the team to beat.
An early goal by Nigeria increased the tempo of the match. The Germans did all they could to get back into the game but Victor Igbinoba made Nigeria’s day with a powerful shot from about 30 yards that beat the German goalkeeper and sealed the victory. What a goal! One that would feature on NTA Network News every evening for many years to come! That goal by Igbinoba, just two minutes to the end of the match, summed up the Eaglets’ performance throughout the tournament – superb!
3. Nigeria 10 vs. Algeria 9 penalties (1988 Nations Cup Semi- Final)
At a time North African opponents were a real dread, Nigeria recorded a dramatic victory against Algeria in a Nations’ Cup semi-final cracker. Nigeria went ahead when late Samuel Okwaraji’s strike was deflected into the net by an Algeria defender. The Algerians equalized ten minutes before the end and the game was forced into extra time.
But the drama was about to begin. Nigerian defender Ademola Adesina was shown the red card giving the Algeria the advantage to mount pressure on the Eagles, until Bright Omokaro did the unthinkable: A rather harsh tackle by Bright on an Algerian player sent the opponent out of the match. And with maximum substitution already made by both teams, the game was reduced to 10 men apiece. This would earn Omokaro the nickname 10-10.
The drama was not over. The game went into penalty and surprisingly, both teams were still tied after all the players and goalkeepers had played their penalty. By the time Algerian Lackdar Belloumi was to play his second penalty and his country’s eleventh of the shootout, Peter Rufai seemed to have heard the petition of Ernest Okonkwo live on radio as he repeatedly pleaded, “Peter Rufai, give us this day.” Rufai read Belloumi’s legs, dived in the right direction and saved the penalty. Nigeria had won a most memorable game and was on her way to the final of the Nations Cup for the third time in five tournaments.
4. Nigeria 7 vs. USSR 5 penalties (1989 U-21 World Cup Quarter Final)
On a sunny afternoon in Damman, Saudi Arabia, the Flying Eagles did the impossible by coming back from a four-goal deficit to equalize in the last half hour. Two free kick goals from Chris Ohenhen, a third goal by Samuel Elijah and the all important equalizer from Nduka Ugbade turned this modest U-21 quarter final fixture into something worth a place in the Guinness Book of Records.
The equalizer created sheer ecstasy in all Nigerians. The jubilation that followed was tremendous; commentator Fabio Olanipekun almost lost his voice. Nigeria went on to win the match through penalties, completing the nightmare for the Russians and an evening to greatly relish and forever remember for Nigerians.
5. Nigeria 2 vs. Ghana 1 (1993 U-17 World Cup Final)
The 1993 U-17 championship was a perfect tournament for Nigeria with five maximum wins leading to the final match against Ghana. It was the first time two African teams would be meeting in the final of a FIFA world cup, and what a memorable display both teams had. From start to finish, the match was keenly contested, skill for skill, and strength for strength. The Nigerians however were more deadly and purposeful in front of goal, and that made all the difference!
Wilson Oruma defied the danger of sustaining a head injury to give Nigeria the lead with a low flying header in the 6-yard box early in the first half. The Ghanaians fought back to equalize but Nigeria persisted in curtailing them. It was beautiful, flowing football worthy of any final from both teams, until Nigeria struck again well into the second half – another classical finish – by Anosike. There and then the game was won. Though Ghana managed to put one back in the closing minutes of the match, the contest was over. The all Africa final showdown went Nigeria’s way.
6. Nigeria 2 vs. Zambia 1 (1994 Nations Cup Final)
After narrow misses at winning the Nations Cup, Nigeria won the coveted trophy for the second time in Tunisia. The Super Eagles, who were using the Nations Cup as preparation towards their first ever world cup, did not disappoint at all as they defeated all their opponents (except Egypt) to reach the final against Zambia, a country that was still mourning its heroes that died in a plane crash a year before.
The Zambians were no match for the Eagles on an ordinary day, but this was not just any day; the spirits of their dead players seemed to be spurring them on to win. The first couple of minutes produced two goals both from corner kicks. Elijah Litana scored with a header for Zambia while tournament debutant, Emmanuel Amuneke equalized for Nigeria.
The game balanced afterwards with Nigeria having the better chances of scoring. It was Amuneke again that scored the second goal early in the second half. Nigeria should have made it three or four. The Zambians however came back strongly towards the end of the match to find an equalizer. But it was not to be. Nigeria denied Zambia the consolation they badly wanted. There was no denying the fact that the Super Eagles were the better team of the day and stood higher than all the teams in Africa at that time. The overwhelming favourites had deservedly won the trophy.
7. Nigeria 3 vs. Bulgaria 0 (1994 World Cup 1st Match)
It was a spectacular performance for the debutante Nigerians as the Super Eagles pulverized their opponent Bulgaria in their opening match of the USA 94 World Cup. The fans at the Boston stadium and millions watching on TV couldn’t ask for more. The Eagles showed class in all aspects and at the end they had three well-earned goals from Rashidi Yekini, Daniel Amokachi and Emmanuel Amuneke to show for it. Bulgaria, a team that would still play in the semi final of the same tournament, simply had no clue on how to handle the strong and highly skillful Nigerians.
Nigeria at last had arrived at the world stage with a bang. And by far, it was the country’s most impressive single performance at the World Cup, even to date.
8. Nigeria 4 vs. Brazil 3 (1996 Olympics Semi-Final)
In what could be regarded as the sweetest of all, Nigeria came back from 3-1 deficit to beat Brazil 4-3, breaking a jinx that had been for decades. The Nigeria U-23 was brimming with talents in their prime earning itself the name Dream Team, a borrowing from America’s all star basketball team. The Brazilian team had great stars like Ronaldo Da Lima, Bebeto, Juninho and others.
These two great teams that had met in the first stage (with Brazil running away with a lone goal) had something special to get out of this game. Brazil wanted to win to go ahead and win their first Olympic gold in football. Nigeria wanted to have their pound of flesh from mighty Brazil. The stage was set for an epic battle.
Brazil had an early goal but Nigeria came back strongly to equalize. Then the Brazilians scored two more goals and it would have been goal number 4 if the referee had not disallowed another goal they scored early in the second half. It seemed the game was over but the Dream Team came back forcefully into the game. A well directed shot from Victor Ikpeba’s left foot, and two goals made in heaven from Kanu Nwankwo, the last coming in the golden goal’s extra time, won the match for Nigeria.
The joy that followed knew no bound. The players were simply ecstatic. Nigerians took to the streets in the middle of the night to celebrate. What a match! Television stations all over the world were showing the highlights for days, Nigerian stations for months and years. Nigeria had won a most famous victory on its way to winning the football Olympic gold medal.
9. Nigeria 3 vs. Spain 2 (1998 World Cup 1st Match)
As at 1998, Nigeria was still highly rated and respected for the spectacular showing at the USA ‘94 and Atlanta ‘96, but following a spell that saw the Super Eagles losing heavily to Holland and Yugoslavia in the friendlies just before the World Cup, it seemed not much was to be expected from the Eagles at the mundial. When the Eagles however met with one of the tournament’s favorites, Spain, in their first match, they turned the table in a most memorable and stylish way.
A free kick by Hierro early in the match led to the first goal by Spain. Nigeria equalized through Mutiu Adepoju’s header the same first half. In the second half, Spain took the lead again through striker Raul and Nigeria came back yet again with an equalizer from Garba Lawal. Then the magic moment came: Sunday Oliseh’s well tailored shot from about 25 yards headed for the corner of the post and landed at the back of the net before the safe hands of Spain’s goalkeeper could ever reach the ball. What a goal! Oliseh was ecstatic! Nigerians were jubilating. Spain was dumbfounded! 3-2! The Super Eagles once again made a statement on the world scene that they could beat any team in the world – on a good day!
10. Enyimba 2 vs. Ismaili 1 aggregate (2003 Champions League Final)
Enyimba Football Club of Aba broke the jinx that had been on Nigerian football regarding the African Club Championship. Before then, no Nigerian club had been able to win the Africa Champions Cup despite attempts every year. Clubs like Shooting Stars, Rangers International and Iwuanyanwu Nationale had come really close to winning it but things didn’t go in their favour at the end.
Enyimba started their campaign on a bright note and by the time they got to the semi final, Nigerians started believing 2003 was the year they had so much been waiting for. In the final, Enyimba had to face Ismaili of Egypt. With the past experiences of playing North African teams in the finals of the Champions Cup, Nigerians had cause to worry.
But unlike Shooting Stars and Inwuayanwu Nationale, teams that had fallen prey to the pranks of North African teams in times past, the boys from Aba took the game to the North Africans. After winning the first leg in Nigeria 2-0, they travelled to Egypt to slug it out. They contested every ball, every referee’s decision. They did not get intimidated by the vociferous crowd. Ismaili could only manage to score one goal the full length of the match. As a result, Enyimba won for Nigeria her first Champions League, leaving the Egyptians to lick their wounds.
About the Author: Michael Omisore is a professional writer/editor and the author of Writing Masterpieces, Nine Steps to Giving Your Readers Sky-scraping Value for their Time and Money. Follow him on twitter @mdomisore or send him a mail- mdomisore@yahoo.com.
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This article was first published on 8th November 2014 and updated on February 19th, 2015 at 10:03 am
Comments (1)
My favorite was the 3rd one i.e. Nigeria vs. Algeria (1988 Nations Cup Semi- Final). The match was was full of thrill and drama. 😀