Amunike grabs the gold for Nigeria

Football

Substitute Emmanuel Amunike scored a dramatic winner in the 89th minute to give Nigeria victory over Argentina and the the gold medal in the Olympic football final in Athens, Georgia, last night.

The Nigerians fought back from a second-minute headed goal from the Argentine striker Claudio Lopez to equalise in the 27th minute with a soaring header by Celestine Babayaro. A bad penalty decision by the Italian referee, Pierluigi Collina, in the 48th minute allowed Hernan Crespo to score from the spot but the Nigerians' enthusiasm and skill brought them an equaliser in the 73rd minute, when Daniel Amokachi flicked the ball over the stranded Argentine goalkeeper, Pablo Cavallero.

With "golden goal" extra-time looming, the Nigerians stole ahead when Argentina were caught trying to play the offside trap. From a free-kick on the left, the Argentine defence ran out, leaving three Nigerians unmarked in front of goal. Amunike moved in to tuck a left-foot shot past Cavallero. The Sanford Stadium erupted in a sea of green.

The losers will argue that the winner was illegal but, although some of his team-mates may have been offside behind him, Amunike was not. He celebrated with a back flip as his colleagues leapt with joy. They had been billed here as football's African "dream team" and they lived up to the tag and more.

The late winner was poetic justice after Argentina's questionable penalty that put them 2-1 up. If there was contact between Taribo West and Ariel Ortega, it was slight, but Collina pointed to the spot. Crespo hit the perfect spot kick, hard to Joseph Dosu's left.

After the second-minute setback, the Nigerians had surged forward throughout the first half, slicing through the Argentine defence with their speed and dribbling. The South Americans also had chances on the break. Lopez should have made it 2-0 in the 15th minute when he glided on to a long ball, slipped past Dosu but over-ran it across the by-line. But Babayaro's equaliser was fully deserved, and was just a taster for the drama of the second half.

Nigeria: Dosu; Obaraku (Oruma, 61), West, Uche, Babayaro, Okocha (Lawal, 58), Amokachi, Oliseh, Babangida, Kanu, Ikpeba (Amunike, 72).

Argentina: Cavallero; Sensini, Ayala, Chamot, Zanetti, Almeyda, Morales (Simeone, 58), Bassedas, Ortega, Crespo, Lopez.

Referee: P Collina (It).