If you think back to when you were a kid and got your first gift, you remember the elation that was unmatched. That might be close to the emotion felt by over 87 million Nigerians on July 21, 1994, when the Green Eagles of Nigeria scored the first World Cup goal for the nation, which had just turned 34.
The 11th-ranked nation at the time went as a powerhouse in African football with a golden generation of players, so qualifying for the 15th World Cup was a dream come true.
Despite Nigeria scoring its first goal in just 20 minutes, Bulgaria, a European underdog who qualified by defeating France in their final qualification match, was their first huddle.
The first World Cup goal for Nigeria was scored by who?
Rashidi Yekini, a Kaduna native and prolific goal scorer who led Tunisia to victory at the 1994 Nations Cup with five goals, made history by scoring Nigeria’s first World Cup goal and creating one of the tournament’s most iconic celebrations by grabbing the net in jubilation.
Nigeria had earlier come close, but Daniel Amokachi missed two opportunities, and the Bulgarians also missed an opportunity to get on the board before Yekini’s goal. Fans enjoyed watching the opening 20 minutes of play between these two teams’ battle.
The golden goal was set up by Amokachi’s brilliant midfield play, who gave Finidi George a pass just outside the 18-yard box that can best be described as “hot knife through butter,” and Yekini only needed to be running full speed to score.
Nigeria went on to win the match by a score of three goals to zero, with additional goals coming from Daniel “the bull” Amokachi and Emmanuel Amuneke in the 43rd and 55th minutes, respectively.
The Nigeria National Team had won over the soccer-loving nation, even though the African Champions were eliminated from the competition after being denied a spot in the quarterfinals by Italy in a painful match that most Nigerians would prefer to forget.
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