The 1994 World Cup was a special event, hosted by a scorching USA and graced by some of the true greats of the game from Roberto Baggio to Romario to the controversial Diego Maradona. Viewers were treated to a combination of stunning goals, questionable haircuts and some major surprises.
The Republic of Ireland shocked the Italians with a 1-0 victory in the group stage while Bulgaria and Sweden reached the semi-finals. And then there were the Nigerians.
Making their World Cup debut, Nigeria were drawn in Group D with powerhouse Argentina, Bulgaria and Greece. It was a daunting group and few fancied the Nigerians’ chances of reaching the second round. However, manager Clemens Westerhof and his players had other ideas.
Nigeria made a dream start against a Bulgarian team featuring star man like Hristo Stoichkov. In front of more than 44,000 in Dallas, the Nigerians’ physical, athletic approach caught Bulgaria napping and by half-time they were two goals ahead. Rasheed Yekini opened the scoring after 21 minutes and Daniel Amokachi – who would later join Everton – doubled the lead two minutes before the break.
When Emmanuel Amunike netted a third ten minutes into the second half, the Nigerians were in dreamland. Instead of displaying nerves in their first World Cup game, they had seized the moment with a 3-0 victory.
However, a sterner test awaited in the shape of Argentina, who had hammered Greece 4-0 in their opening fixture. Striker Gabriel Batistuta, who smashed a hat-trick against the Greeks, was among the world’s best while Maradona was showing flashes of his genius again. And yet Nigeria took an eighth-minute lead through Samson Siasia.
With the world order in grave danger, the Argentines responded impressively as a Claudio Caniggia double turned the game on its head in the space of just seven minutes. Westerhof rolled the dice by throwing on Mutiu Adepoju and belatedly Jay Jay Okocha but ultimately the Nigerians fell to a valiant 2-1 defeat.
All was not lost, though. Nigeria travelled to Foxborough knowing that a victory over Greece would confirm their place in the second round. This World Cup adventure was bringing out the very best in the Nigerians and they duly punched their ticket for the last 16 with a 2-0 win, courtesy of Finidi George and Amokachi.
To add to the jubilation, Bulgaria stunned the Argentines with a 2-0 victory, meaning Nigeria finished as group winners. It was a deserved reward for the fearless performances that Westerhof’s side had produced in the searing heat.
Yet topping Group D also seemed a mixed blessing as it set up a second round clash with Italy. The Italians had begun the tournament slowly and looked out of sorts but still possessed some incredible talents, including Roberto Baggio, Franco Baresi and Paolo Maldini. It would be veterans against newcomers.
A crowd of more than 54,000 arrived at Foxboro Stadium and witnessed Nigeria make a flying start. Buoyed by their surprise run through the group stage, the Super Eagles once again took the lead against a superior opponent. Amunike, who had been on the scoresheet against the Bulgarians, netted after 25 minutes to set the game up perfectly. Could the Nigerians spring another surprise?
Predictably, the Italians responded with plenty of possession but when Gianfranco Zola was sent off with 15 minutes to go it seemed that Nigeria were in the clear. But, just two minutes away from reaching the quarter-finals, disaster struck for the Nigerians as Roberto Baggio levelled the scores.
Visibly deflated, Westerhof’s men headed into extra-time but were unable to capitalise on the numerical advantage. And that man Roberto Baggio broke Nigerian hearts in the 110th minute as his penalty sent Italy into the last eight.
Even after this emotional exit, there was plenty for the Nigerians to reflect on proudly. Expected to just make up the numbers in the group stage, they had rocked the established order and topped the group table.
And this wonderful performance paved the way for future Nigerian teams to prosper on the world’s biggest stage. Nigeria’s 1994 World Cup debut was followed by appearances in 1998 and 2002, with mixed results.
This summer, their tournament total will reach four when current boss Lars Lagerback sends out his team in South Africa. With a bit of luck, they might even go further than the heroes of ’94.
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