Wilfred Ndidi, the Super Eagles captain, has explained why he celebrated his goal against Tunisia in the same way Kanu Nwankwo did at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics against Brazil.
Ndidi scored Nigeria’s second goal of the match after Victor Osimhen had already given them the lead in the first half.
It was Ndidi’s first goal for the Super Eagles, a team he has been part of for more than ten years.
The defensive midfielder recreated the 1996 Olympic goal celebration, famously performed by Nigerian and Arsenal legend, Kanu Nwankwo.
“I just remember my dad; my dad always used to talk about Kanu and everything,” the former Leicester City star said.
“So I saw the video, and I said, ‘Oh, I’ll do that one for my dad.’”
With the win, Nigeria became the second team to reach the knockout stage of the tournament in North America, joining Egypt as the first two teams to qualify.
Egypt’s 1-0 victory against South Africa on Friday had made them the first team to advance to the next stage of the tournament.
Nigeria’s next game is against Uganda, who have played two games, losing one to Tunisia and drawing with Tanzania.