Nigeria v Italy
USA 1994 | Round of 16
Foxboro Stadium, Foxborough
Attendance: 54,367
Going into the game
The flying eagles soared into their maiden FIFA World Cup™ as reigning AFCON champions, and set about alighting the global finals.
An electric front four of Daniel Amokachi, Emmanuel Amunike, Finidi George and Rashidi Yekini put Bulgaria to the sword in Dallas. They were edged by Argentina in their second match but bounced back with a 2-0 win over Greece in Foxborough, ensuring they topped Group D and would remain in Massachusetts for a last-16 clash with Italy.
The Azzurri, by contrast, had scraped through Group E in third place, as all four teams – for the first and only time in FIFA World Cup history – were tied on the same points.
The game
Nigeria started the same front six in all of their group games, but coach Clemens Westerhof dropped midfielder Samson Siasia for the Italy clash after he missed a chance in the victory over Greece. Jay-Jay Okocha, who had played just 23 minutes at the tournament, was chosen in his place.
The 20-year-old settled into the contest and began sprinkling his stardust across Foxboro Stadium turf. A series of drag-backs and stepovers tied a star-studded Azzurri in knots, while his powerful runs and eye for a pass stretched their backline. Nigeria posed problems across the pitch, as Amunike lofted them into a half-time lead.
Okocha continued to shimmy and side-step his way past all comers after the break. It looked certain to be Nigeria’s day when Italy substitute Gianfranco Zola was sent off with 15 minutes to go, only for the previously shackled Roberto Baggio to break free and level in the 88th minute. That took the match to extra time, where Baggio netted again to break Nigeria hearts.
Despite defeat, Okocha came away with a slice of tournament history. He completed an incredible 15 dribbles – the most in a single World Cup game. He broke the previous record of 13 set by Jairzinho versus Uruguay in 1970, and equalled by Paul Gascoigne against Cameroon in 1990.
Quotes
“I remember against Italy he made history with the most dribbles in a World Cup match. When Jay-Jay is in his element the opponent won’t even see the ball. That’s the Jay-Jay you want to pick.”
Daniel Amokachi
“Watching the No10 Okocha, you could do a magic little montage of skills that he’s produced today. He’s one of the best players I’ve seen in the tournament.”
Ron Atkinson
Trivia
The closest a player has come to toppling Okocha’s completed dribbles record at the finals was Jamal Musiala at Qatar 2022. He recorded 12 versus Costa Rica which is the most by a teenager in a single match, but still falls short of the Nigerian’s 15. Lionel Messi managed 11 against Mexico at South Africa 2010.
Nigeria and Okocha returned to the States two years later to take part in the Atlanta 1996 Men’s Olympic Football Tournament. The Super Eagles once again dazzled Stateside and became the first African nation to clinch gold with a 3-2 victory over Argentina at Sanford Stadium.
During his time at French giants Paris Saint-Germain and English side Bolton Wanderers fans coined the phrase: ‘Jay-Jay Okocha – so good they named him twice’.
