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Dream Team one was led by Dutchman Johannes Bonfrere and began their run to the final with a 1-0 win over Hungary and a 2-0 win over Japan before completing the first round with a 1-0 loss to Brazilian entrepreneurs. The Africans then shut out Mexico, led by the eccentric goalkeeper Jorge Campos, 2-0, in the quarterfinals to set up an incredible pair of matches.
Losing in the semi-finals to a formidable Brazilian team boasting Bebeto, Ronaldo and Rivaldo, 3-1, Nigeria finally woke up in the 78th minute when Victor Ikpeba scored from 20 meters. As time ticked down, the inspiring captain Nwankwo Kanu took center stage and scored in a last-minute scramble in front of goal to level. With just three minutes left in extra time, Kanu fired the winner from 16 meters to complete one of the greatest comebacks in international football history in what many observers felt was the greatest Olympic football game ever played.
The Dream Team then stepped up to stage another miraculous comeback against Argentina in the gold medal match in front of 86,117 spectators at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia. At the conclusion of 90 minutes of exciting football, Nigeria triumphed over Argentina.
The Argentines held a 2-1 lead with goals from Claudio López, who scored with a header in the third minute, and Hernán Crespo in the 50th minute from a penalty. The resilient Dream Team rallied strongly in the game and equalized in the 74th minute of play when forward Daniel Amokachi tucked in the deciding goal. With one minute remaining, super substitute Emmanuel Amuneke scored the winner to give Nigeria a famous 3–2 victory.
It was a momentous day in Nigerian football history as the international football community celebrated an unusual feat by an African team.
dream team two
With the achievement of Dream Team I at Atlanta 1996, the pressure was on Dream Team Two to perform up to expectations at the 2000 Olympic Games held in the beautiful city of Sydney in Australia.
The team did not lack for quality players, as they had them in their fold: Victor Agali, Yakubu Aiyegbeni, Garba Lawal and Celestine Babayaro, but unfortunately they were eliminated in the quarter-finals. In their first match, Dream Team Two drew Honduras 3-3, before defeating Australia 3-2 in their second match. They drew 1-1 with Italy, to set up a fascinating quarter-final clash with Chile. It was an encounter that exposed the inadequacy of Dream Team two, as they were humiliated 4-1 by an inspired Chilean side.
Nigeria Dream Team The three dreams never last forever
The dream died in 2004, when the Nigerian Olympic soccer team, then known as: The Dream Team Three, failed to climb through the African qualifiers. Tunisia qualified for Athens 2004 at the expense of Nigeria Dream Team Three with an embarrassing 2-0 loss to Nigeria in the final group game in Tunisia. The team that also represented the country at the 8th African Games hosted by Nigeria battled their way to the final of the football event, only to lose to Cameroon 2-0, at Abuja’s ultra-modern National Stadium.
Dream Team Four: The rebirth of the Nigerian Olympic team
The dream was reignited in 2008, when a group of talented soccer players descended from the Under-20 team that collected silver medals at the World Youth Championship in the Netherlands in 2005, stormed Beijing for the Olympic soccer tournament. Coach Samson Siasia, one of the best youth coaches in Nigeria, led them to the Olympics. Joined by heavyweights such as the Netherlands, Japan and the United States in Group B, the Dream Team Four began their Olympic soccer campaign with a sterile 0-0 draw with the Netherlands, before rallying to record a 2-1 victory over the moral. Japan. They confirmed their superiority in the group with another 2-1 victory over the United States. Ivory Coast fell en route to manager Samson Siasia’s side in the quarter-finals as they suffered a 2–0 defeat.
The semi-final pairing saw the best performance ever from the Dream Team Four, as they faced a hapless Belgian side who tried desperately to contain the crazed Nigerians. The match ended 4-1 in favor of Nigeria, and once again the die was cast for a tempting encounter between Nigeria and arch-rivals Argentina. It was a repeat of the 2005 U-20 World Cup held in the Netherlands, as the main players were still very much present on both sides. Revenge was what the Nigerians sang about, and they had to deal with the diminutive Lionel Messi in their quest to win Olympic soccer gold for the second time since 1996. It was a close game that was decided by a lone goal scored in the 58th minute. game by Ángel Di María from Argentina. The Dream Team Four once again had to play second fiddle to an experienced team from Argentina as they lost the epic encounter 1-0.