What a Day! After Chaos, Nigeria Stuns Japan in a 9 Goal Thriller

Fresh off the plane, or not, Nigeria’s Dream Team raced to the Amazônia Arena in Manaus for their opening game against a Japanese team that had arrived weeks earlier to prepare for the tournament.

As if unfazed by what appeared to be epic ill-preparation, and being welcomed by the WRONG national anthem, the Nigerian team opened the scoring in the sixth minute. Sadiq Umar scored the first goal, but only moments later, Shinzo Koroki equalized from the penalty spot.

The back and forth action was only beginning. A few minutes later Oghenakaro Etobo put Nigeria back in front, only for Takumi Minamino to make things level again. Next, both sides controlled their pace and picked up their defensive discipline.

Then, in the 41^st minute, Etebo put Nigeria back in front. And five minutes after the break, he completed his hat trick. But he wasn’t done yet, in the 65^th minute, he scored his fourth.

However, the Nigerians started to tire, as expected considering the events that lead to their delayed flight the day before. Towards the end of the game, Takuma Asano scored Japan’s third and Musashi Suzuki added their fourth in injury time. The game ended with Nigeria’s incredible 5-4 win over Japan.

With four goals to his name, Etobo has established himself as the tournaments man to watch. In their next match against Sweden on Aug. 8^th, it’s safe to say the Scandinavian side will come prepared to slow down the Nigerian goal machine.

Photo Credit: Getty Images