Nigeria
completed one of the most amazing comebacks in modern football when they
came from three goals down at half-time to beat a shocked Morocco 4-3
and progress to the semis of the Chan tournament in a compelling game played at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday afternoon.The Atlas Lions had raced to a 3-0 in the first 45 minutes but Nigeria’s never-say-die attitude saw them overhaul that mammoth deficit in an electrifying second half to take the match into extra-time. Visit our Facebook page for more
Buoyed by the second half fight-back, they stunned the shell-shocked Moroccans with a second half extra-time winner that set this
imposing venue alight.
Surprising and historical as that performance may be, it was not the first time Nigeria in international football have had to come back from a losing position to stun the football world.
DREAM TEAM, ATLANTA 96 OLYMPIC TEAM
When you are down by 3-1 against a Brazilian team that boasts of the likes of Bebeto and Cafu, the hope of a comeback is nothing more than an unrealistic dream and feat! Yet the dream team achieved the unachievable!
The odds were stacked against them mentally. Firstly they had earlier lost to
the same Brazilian team by 0-1 in the group stage.
Secondly when the game was still 3-1 and with still enough time to play, Nigeria had a penalty to close the game down, but uncharacteristically Jay Jay Okocha kick penalty went far and wide! That alone should kill any motivation left in any team? Yes, but not the indomitable Nigerian spirit. A goal from Victor Ikpeba coming off Daniel Amokachi brought scores to 3-2. Nigeria were not done yet as Kanu, who hitherto up until that moment has been lack lustre in the competition, level scores and also grabbed the winner in extra time!
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Spur on by this victory Nigeria went on to win the Olympic gold in football the first for an African country. Perhaps the present eagles playing in CHAN could go on to emulate the dream team.
THE DAMMAN MIRACLE'89
This year makes it 25 years since the Flying Eagles performed what is now known in football folklore as the ‘Miracle of Damman’ at the U-20 World Cup.held in Saudi Arabia.
It was the quarterfinal match of the tournament and the Flying Eagles were pitted against tournament favourites USSR.
While the Russians cruised through Group B winning all their matches scoring seven goals and conceding just two, the young Nigerians barely survived elimination in Group A.
After beating hosts Saudi Arabia 2-1 in the opening match, they lost 1-0 to eventual winners Portugal. They then needed a draw against Czechoslovakia in their final group game to advance. The Czechs caused an early scare when they scored on 14 minutes but the Nigerians, coached by Tunde Disu, equalised in the 72nd minute and despite amassing same points as the Europeans, they advanced on goals difference.
And it seemed they had come to the end of the road when USSR raced to an early 4-0 lead courtesy of a brace from Sergei Kiriakov and a goal each from Bakhva
Tedeev and Oleg Salenko. With the entire nation in a mournful mood due to the goals conceded, the Flying Eagles staged a miraculous comeback with about 29 minutes to the end of the match. Dead ball specialist Christopher Ohenhen converted two free-kicks in the 61st and 75th minutes. When defender Samuel Elijah made score 4-3 with a sublime effort, most Nigerians were relieved but their joy would know no bounds just a few minutes later when their marauding left-back Nduka Ugbade struck the equaliser to record one of football’s greatest comebacks.
The whole nation went into wild jubilations. During the penalty shoot-out, Ohenhen, Peter Ogaba, Michael Onyemachara, Mutiu Adepoju and Elijah in that order, converted their kicks for Nigeria while Mirdjalal Kasimov missed for the Soviets. Nigeria had achieved the unbelievable.
So when the CHAN Eagles staged another dramatic comeback on Saturday the whole nation was elated, though at the back of the mind of those who knew history comeback of such magnitude witness on Saturday is nothing new to the character of this team.
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