naptu2: Dragons of Oueme vs Abiola Babes of Abeokuta.
I listened to that game live on the radio. Guess who was Dragons' goalkeeper? Peter Rufai!
It wasn't that common to see a Nigerian playing for a foreign club and Nigerian journalists often asked ridiculous questions back then.
For example, Shell of Gabon played against Stationery Stores and Nigerian journalists asked Friday Ekpo whether he felt that he was betraying his country by playing for a foreign club against a Nigerian club.
Friday Ekpo said that he was a professional and he was just doing his job.
Nairaland says that I need 40 more characters, so here they are.
naptu2: I keep coming back to this game because. . .you might not understand what it is to watch this game without tension. This was a crazy match! My dad left. He couldn't take it anymore. He said, "Call me if they score" and went to his room. Yet he couldn't stay away from the game! He turned on the radio and was listening to commentaries on Radio Nigeria.
It was a crazy match. There were stars everywhere on the pitch! There was Lakhdar Belloumi, Samuel Okwaraji, Rashidi Yekini, Djamel Menad, Peter Rufai, etc. The crowd supported the Algerians because they were neighbours. Nigeria took the lead via an own goal in the 46th minute (Okwaraji forced the defender to put the ball in his own net) and then, when it looked like we would win, the Algerians scored in the 86th minute (my brother always said that Rufai was one of the best goalkeepers at stopping shots from in front of him, but that, like all Nigerian goalkeepers, he was terrible with crosses).
However, what I would never forget was the unending penalties. I knew that Peter Rufai would score (I had seen him play as an outfield player and I had seen him score penalties, so I was confident), but the tension was insane! I couldn't sit still.
Then, guess whose penalty was saved. . .just guess (the same name that had been burned into my brain before the match).
Peter Rufai is a legend!
Nigeria vs Algeria (semi-final of the 1988 African Nations Cup in Morocco).
naptu2: Go to the 1:59 seconds mark to see Nigeria's goal. Yekini hit the post, the ball bounced out, Okwaraji fired a shot and it deflected in off the Algerian defender.
They interviewed one of the Queen's former bodyguards a few days ago and what he said made me realise that the Queen also did what my dad used to do when there was too much tension.
Dear diary, you might remember that I told you what my dad sometimes did while we were watching football matches on the TV. It might be a Nations Cup tournament or the Super Eagles might be playing away or something else that might mean that my dad won't be able to be at the stadium to watch the match live and so he would watch it on TV with us.
It might be goalless, or the Eagles might be down by a goal or 2 or there might be penalty kicks, basically, something that would create tension and my dad would get up and say, "Come and call me if they score" and then he would go to his room. The funny thing is, I would go to his room when the Eagles score and before I even knock on the door, I would hear the sound of the radio. He had gone into his room because of the tension, but he still couldn't bear not knowing, so he had turned on the radio and was listening to the commentary of the same match.
Sometimes I might not even get to his door. I might be on my way to his room when I'll see him rushing back to the parlour because he already knows that they've scored (because he was listening to the match on the radio).
I remember that Princess Anne took part in the equestrian events at the Olympics, World Championships and other competitions when I was a kid. Her daughter, Zara Philips, followed in her footsteps.
The Queen's bodyguard said that Zara Philips was competing in an event (I can't remember if it was the Olympics or World Championships) and the Queen couldn't bear the tension, so she told the bodyguard that they should go outside and have a picnic (where they would be far away from any television or radio).
They were having the picnic when the Queen suddenly said that she couldn't bear it anymore (that is, she couldn't bear not knowing) and she told the guard to radio his backup and find out if her granddaughter had won. The security team told the Queen's bodyguard that Zara Philips had won the gold medal.
NNPP NATIONAL LEADER MOURNS THE DEATH OF LATE ALHAJI AMINU DANTATA
The NNPP National Leader, His Excellency Sen Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, PhD, FNSE, today, (2nd July 2025), paid a condolence visit to the family of Late Alhaji Aminu Dan Tata at his residence in Koki, Kano State.
He openly mourned the passing of this outstanding businessman and elder statesman, describing it as a great loss to Kano State and the entire nation. May Allah (SWT) forgive his shortcomings and grant him Aljannatul Firdausi. Ameen.
Politics › Re: President Tinubu Mourns Nigerian Goalkeeper Legend, Peter Rufai by naptu2: 6:53am On Jul 04, 2025
