Video of the day: See how own goal and Okocha penalty downed Mexico on Dream Team’s path to Atlanta ’96 gold
On this day in 1996, an 83rd minute Tadahiro Akiba own goal and a penalty converted at the death by Jay-Jay Okocha were all Nigeria needed to overcome Japan in a group match at the football event of the 1996 Olympic Games.
The win at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida gave the very talented ‘Dream Team’ their second victory of the Games on their way to a historic Olympic gold. They had earlier beaten Hungary two days earlier at the same venue thanks to a solitary Nwankwo Kanu strike.
Okocha had to retake the injury-time penalty after referee Pierluigi Collina spotted Tijani Babangida encroaching into the penalty area before Okocha converted his first attempt from the charity spot.
That did little to stop Okocha from beating goalkeeper Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi a second time to seal the victory for Nigeria.
The win at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida gave the very talented ‘Dream Team’ their second victory of the Games on their way to a historic Olympic gold. They had earlier beaten Hungary two days earlier at the same venue thanks to a solitary Nwankwo Kanu strike.
