Okocha Recalls Outpour Of Emotions When He Scored Memorable Goal Against Cameroon At AFCON 2000 Final

Austin Okocha nearly won his second AFCON title at the AFCON 2000 tournament play hosted by Nigeria and Ghana.

The Super Eagles had been banned from two previous editions of the competition in 1996 and 1998 due to political reasons.

But the West African nation were given the co-hosting rights with neighbours Ghana, as the Super Eagles posted one of their best performances at Africa's biggest soccer fiesta.

Jay Jay scored a brace against Tunisia in Nigeria's 4-2 win in their opening game as the team went on to draw with DR Congo then defeated Morocco 2-0 in their last group encounter.

Okocha was shown a red card in the quarter-final fixture against Senegal but a brace from Julius Aghahowa was enough to send the Eagles through to the semis.

It was Tijani Banbangida's turn to put Nigeria through into the finals as he grabbed a first-half brace against the South Africans.

In the packed full final played at the National Stadium Surulere, Lagos, the Super Eagles were already 2-0 behind courtesy of Samuel Eto'o and Patrick Mbomma's goal.

But just before half-time, Chukwu Ndukwe pulled one back to keep Nigeria's hopes of winning their third AFCON title alive against their biggest rivals.

Two minutes after the restart, Okocha levelled the scores with a breath-taking finish and he celebrated making some utterances after throwing the fans into rapturous celebrations.

Okocha's comments about his emotional celebration against Cameroon

Legit.ng caught up with the football legend and asked what he was saying after he scored from 25-yards out and he jokingly replied:

"You watch the game from your TV set at home and you are now asking me what I said at the stadium," he laughed.

He continued:

"I really appreciate the fact that you want to know what I said after scoring that goal but it was very deep."

The Super Eagles 4-3 on penalties after playing 2-2 during regulation time as Okocha, Victor Godwin Okpara and Sunday Oliseh scored their spot-kicks while Nwankwo Kanu and Victor Ikpeba missed.

Meanwhile, Legit.ng had earlier reported that Austin Okocha is regarded as one of the best players that came out of Nigeria and Africa as a whole.

Great African stars including the likes of Samuel Eto'o, Didier, Drogba, El Hadj Diouf have also agreed to the fact that the former Bolton star is one of a kind.

Even the likes of top European stars like Oliver Khan, Mario Gomez, Mesut Ozil, Peter Crouch and likes say that the Super Eagles legend is a delight to watch when showcasing his skills.

However, a Nigerian man has given several reasons the ex-Paris Saint Germain midfielder should not be regarded as an icon in the game.

Source: Legit.ng