It was an incredible 1994 for the Nigerian men’s national team. They had qualified for the FIFA World Cup (and went on to finish in the last 16, losing narrowly to Italy) and stormed to victory in the 1994 African Cup of Nations. The 19th edition of the competition was held in Tunisia and featured 12 teams in 4 groups of 3.
Nigeria were drawn in a group with Egypt and Gabon and finished the group in first place with a win and a draw. This was followed by a win in the quarters against Zaire and a dramatic penalty shoot-out win against holders Ivory Coast and a meeting with Zambia in the final. This was notable as Zambia had lost most of their team in a plane crash a year earlier so the match was an emotional affair for both teams. In the end, Nigeria came through 2-0 winners and capture their first AFCON title since 1980.
Tunde Eludini wrote a piece in remembrance of the squad and looked at what the super squad are doing now (as of 2021). Unfortunately, 4 members of the squad passed away years later including Rashidi Yekini who remains Nigeria’s all-time top scorer.
Enjoy their run in the highlight video below.
