Miracle of Dammam

Miracle of Dammam

Time	18:00 UTC 15:00 WAT
Date	25 February 1989
Location	Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium, Dammam, Saudi Arabia
Participants	Nigeria U-20 Football Team  Soviet Union U-20 Football Team
Outcome	First time ever a team will come back from four goals down to win a FIFA World Cup match at any level[1]

The Miracle of Dammam also known as The Dammam Miracle was the name given to the result of a quarter-final football match between the Nigerian U-20 football team and the USSR U-20 football team at the 1989 FIFA World Youth Championship in Saudi Arabia which the Nigerian U-20 team went on to win on penalties.^[2] The match created a footballing record as Nigeria became the first team to come back from four goals down to equalize and then go on to win a FIFA World Cup match at any level.^[1]

The match

Summary

The match was played at the Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium in Dammam with an attendance of about 10,000 spectators. The Soviet Union raced to a four-goal lead within forty-six minutes with a brace from Sergei Kiriakov in the 30th and 58th minutes with further goals from Bakhva Tedeev and Oleg Salenko in the 45th and 46th minutes respectively in a keenly contested match. With thirty minutes to full-time, Nigeria responded through a brace from Christopher Ohenhen in the 61st and 75th minutes. Samuel Elijah scored the third goal in the 83rd minute before the captain of the Nigerian team Nduka Ugbade completed the remarkable comeback with a goal in the 84th minute to end the game in a draw.^[3]

Details

Soviet Union  v  Nigeria

February 25, 1989 18:00 (UCT)

Soviet Union	4–4 (a.e.t.) (3-5 pen.)	Nigeria
Kiriakov 30’, 58’ Tedeev 45’ Salenko 46’	(Report)	Ohenhen 61’, 75’ Elijah 83’ Ugbade 84’

Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium, Dammam Attendance: 10,000 Referee: Hubert Forstinger (Austria)

Note

• Nigeria won the match on penalties and went on to become second at the tournament after losing to Portugal in the final.^[2]

References