Yakubu Aiyegbeni Cries Out As Fans Send Messages 15 Years After Infamous FIFA World Cup Miss
- Yakubu Aiyegbeni has raised the alarm that he still received messages following his infamous miss at the 2010 FIFA World Cup
- Nigeria needed all three points against South Korea to pick up a second-round ticket, but the encounter ended 2-2
- The outcome of the encounter would have been different had the striker tucked home his effort from three yards out
Former Nigerian international Yakubu Aiyegbeni has disclosed that he keeps receiving messages even after 15 years of his World Cup miss.
The ex-striker, who scored 21 goals in 58 matches for the Super Eagles, had one moment which has continued to haunt him.
He missed a sitter at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa as his effort went wide from just about three yards out.
Source: Getty Images
Nigeria needed a win over South Korea in their final group game to pick a ticket into the knockout phase, but the explosive encounter ended 2-2.
The Super Eagles made a bright start into the game with Kalu Uche opening the scoring as early as the 12th minute.
Lee Jung-Soo restored parity for the Asians in the 38th minute with both teams heading into the break with one goal apiece.
Four minutes into the second half, Park Chu-Young broke the hearts of Nigerians when he put the Koreans ahead with a delightful freekick.
Desperate for an equaliser, Nigeria pressed upfront and Ayila found space in the area and squared the ball to Yakubu, who tucked wide.
The striker left millions of fans in awe as he could only manage to put his hands on his head, shaking it in disbelief as seen in the highlights.
The match commentator branded it as the 'miss of the tournament', saying he would have nightmares about that one.
Nigeria won a penalty late in the game after Chinedu Obasi was clipped in the danger area.
Yakubu shrugged off the earlier miss and tucked home to make it 2-2, but it was not enough as Nigeria crashed out of the tournament.
After 15 years, Yakubu has raised the alarm that he has continued to receive messages over the miss. He said via Vanguard:
“I still get messages from people, different people on that miss.
“One asked how will I explain this miss to my daughter Kayla. I was like wow, 13, 14 years ago people still think about that.
“I got another message again that said I was the worst Super Eagles striker.”
He emphasised that it hurts him that fans do not recall how Nigeria picked the ticket to the 2010 FIFA World Cup, saying he played a key role.
The former Portsmouth forward added:
“We went to Sudan when nobody thought we would qualify for the World Cup because the weather there was crazy, the weather was so hot.
“A draw or a loss and we are out. I scored two, Julius Aghahowa and ‘Jay Jay’ Okocha also scored for us to win 4-0 and that got us the ticket to the World Cup.
“But Nigerians never speak about that and that I played 99.9% of these games to qualify Nigeria to the World Cup and I was still dropped (from going to the World Cup).”
Ayegbeni sends message to Arsenal
Legit.ng earlier reported that Aiyegbeni recently sent a message to his former teammate Mikel Arteta on what he must do for Arsenal to win laurels.
The pair spent time together at the English club Everton, and the Nigerian’s advice to his former teammate is solid.
PAY ATTENTION: Сheck out news that is picked exactly for YOU ➡️ find the “Recommended for you” block on the home page and enjoy!
Source: Legit.ng
