Independence Day: Reminiscing on Atlanta '96, Nigeria's greatest sporting event since 1960

With a total of six medals won, the Atlanta 96 Olympic Games remains Nigeria's most successful outing in that competition.

It was night time in Nigeria on Saturday, August 3, 1996, but the country, unlike every other day, was not ready to go to sleep; everyone was waiting with bated breath, watching the Kanu Nwankwo-led Dream Team who were on the cusp of history. 

Then in the 90th minute, Emmanuel Amuneke struck, managing to escape the offside trap and before latching on to a Wilson Oruma free kick to win it for Nigeria at the death against Argentina.

It was an exhilarating climax for a Dream Team that had defied all the odds -of bad management from the football federation and the tumultuous political scene back at home led by late military dictator Sani Abacha -to become the first African country to win Gold Medal at an Olympic Games.

Amuneke’s goal sealed a 3-2 win for Nigeria’s U-23 who came back twice in the game. But despite finally clinching the Gold Medal, that win was not the most memorable for Nigerians from the Atlanta 96 Summer Olympic Games.

The Dream Team led by Bonfrere Jo started the tournament with some decent performances. They managed wins against Hungary and Japan before losing to pre-tournament favourites, Brazil to finish runners-up in Group D.

Jo had put together an immensely talented squad of from the victorious Golden Eaglets squad from the 1993 FIFA U-17 World Championship and the Super Eagles squad that impressed at the 1994 FIFA World Cup.

It was a perfect mix of speed, technicality, youthful buoyancy and passion. As the tournament progressed, they got better.

After dispatching Mexico with a 2-0 win in the quarterfinals, Brazil were next again, the team that had players like Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos, Rivaldo and Dida. Brazil had just won the  World Cup two years earlier and their insane talent pool meant that they had some of the best youngsters in the world at that time. Nobody gave Nigeria a chance.

Expectedly, Brazil got into a 3-1 lead. Cruising and on their way to the final. But Kanu and his teammates had other ideas.

Victor Ikpeba got Nigeria back in the game with a 78th-minute goal before Kanu netted an equaliser in the 90th.

The story of this match has been well told, but when Kanu netted a Golden Goal in the 94th minute, the country shook in bacchanalia.

It remains Nigeria’s greatest moment in football history underpinned with the 3-2 win over Argentina to snag Gold Medal.

Nigeria might have won Gold with the 3-2 victory over Argentina in the final, it was the 4-3 win over Brazil that remains deep in memory until this day.

After the Games, it was photos from the win over Brazil that dominated memorabilia. In Calendars, notebooks and shirts that win shot up to the top of pop culture with the release of Tony One Week’s most popular project, ‘You Go Bow.’

In that album, he had a song called ‘Gyrate’ which calls on Nigerians irrespective of their class to celebrate the nations sporting achievements with the famous line of ‘When Nigeria beat Brazil, Bebeto come dey cry’ referencing the dream team’s victory over the Samba boys at the semi-finals of the competition sealing it as a classic in Nigerian hearts.

More than football

Even when the Dream Team’s win got all the attention and celebration, Atlanta 96 meant more than football for Nigerian sports.

Chioma Ajunwa won a Gold Medal in  Women's Long Jump, while the quartet of Falilat Ogunkoya, Bisi Afolabi, Fatima Yusuf and Charity Opara won Silver Medal in Women's 4x400 metres Relay.

There were also three bronzes for Nigeria from Falilat Ogunkoya in Women's 400 metres, Mary Onyali in, Women's 200 metres and Duncan Dokiwari in Men's Super Heavyweight.

With a total of six medals, the Atlanta 96 Olympic Games remains Nigeria's most successful outing in that competition.