Miracle of Dammam
| Time |
18:00 UTC 15:00 WAT |
|---|---|
| Date | 25 February 1989 |
| Location | Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium, Dammam, Saudi Arabia |
| Participants |
 Nigeria U-20 Football Team Soviet Union U-20 Football Team |
| Outcome | First time ever a team will come back from four goals down to win a FIFA World Cup match at any level[1] |
The Miracle of Dammam also known as The Dammam Miracle was the name given to the result of a quarter-final football match between the Nigerian U-20 football team and the USSR U-20 football team at the 1989 FIFA World Youth Championship in Saudi Arabia which the Nigerian U-20 team went on to win on penalties.[2] The match created a footballing record as Nigeria became the first team to come back from four goals down to equalize and then go on to win a FIFA World Cup match at any level.[1]
The match
Summary
The match was played at the Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium in Dammam with an attendance of about 10,000 spectators. The Soviet Union raced to a four-goal lead within forty-six minutes with a brace from Sergei Kiriakov in the 30th and 58th minutes with further goals from Bakhva Tedeev and Oleg Salenko in the 45th and 46th minutes respectively in a keenly contested match. With thirty minutes to full-time, Nigeria responded through a brace from Christopher Ohenhen in the 61st and 75th minutes. Samuel Elijah scored the third goal in the 83rd minute before the captain of the Nigerian team Nduka Ugbade completed the remarkable comeback with a goal in the 84th minute to end the game in a draw.[3]
Details
| Soviet Union |
4–4 (a.e.t.) (3-5 pen.) |
Nigeria |
|---|---|---|
| Kiriakov 30’, 58’ Tedeev 45’ Salenko 46’ |
(Report) | Ohenhen 61’, 75’ Elijah 83’ Ugbade 84’ |
Note
- Nigeria won the match on penalties and went on to become second at the tournament after losing to Portugal in the final.[2]
References
- 1 2 "Great Nigerian Heros". Kayode Ogundare. Complete Sports. 8 July 2015. p. 10.
- 1 2 "Greatest Comeback: The Dammam Miracle VS Cape Town wonder". Vanguard Nigeria. 26 January 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
- ↑ "Nigeria's Greatest Football Comeback: The Dammam Miracle VS Cape Town wonder". 26 January 2014. Retrieved 10 July 2015.