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1996 History About To Repeat In Benjing - Sports - Nairaland

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1996 History About To Repeat In Benjing by smile4kenn(m): 5:26pm On Aug 22, 2008
A Diego strike and a brace from Jo gave Brazil their second bronze medal in four Olympics following a 3-0 win over Belgium at Shanghai Stadium.

With this victory, a replica of the 1996 podium standings is still on the cards, providing Nigeria beat Argentina in Saturday's final. But will lightning strike twice at the Men's Olympic Football Tournament? Time will tell.

Saturday's final will pit Argentina against Nigeria in a replay of the classic gold-medal match from Atlanta 1996, where a West African ‘Dream Team' that included Nwankwo Kanu and ‘Jay Jay' Okocha did away with an Albiceleste boasting such illustrious names as Ariel Ortega, Hernan Crespo and Roberto Ayala.

The Argentines were heavy favourites on that day in steamy Georgia, but the green-clad Africans left the ground with gold dangling from their necks after a last-gasp 3-2 win. Now, on the eve of a Beijing re-play at the Bird's Nest, two crucial players - Nigeria's Emmanuel Amunike and Argentina's Nestor Sensini - take FIFA.com back to that fateful day in 1996 and look forward to Saturday's final.

"It was a once-in-lifetime experience for us, and a huge moment for African football," Amunike, who went on to play for Barcelona, told FIFA.com the day before a re-match that will pit the likes of Victor Obinna and Solomon Okoronkwo against Lionel Messi and Juan Roman Riquelme. "I remember the other athletes looking at us like ‘what the hell are they doing here?' while we would sing and dance and party in the Olympic Village - we had some strong characters but we also had a lot of love and respect in the team."

With memories still fresh of that fateful day 12 years ago in the USA, both key men are expecting a similar cracker in Beijing on Saturday. "There's no comparing our team (1996) to Samson Siasia's current one, but they are extremely talented," Amunike said. "To win the Olympics is an amazing, life-changing event and I hope the result on Saturday is the same as in 96!"

http://www.fifa.com/mensolympic/news/newsid=859653.html#96ers+await+beijing+replay

Re: 1996 History About To Repeat In Benjing by smile4kenn(m): 5:48pm On Aug 22, 2008
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