Olatunbosun's goal goes viral
A few weeks ago, most football fans around the world wouldn't have heard of the name Sikiru Olatunbosun but that has all changed following his spectacular goals against Rangers International of Enugu last weekend.
The goal itself was a combination of sheer brilliance, improvisation and ingenuity all rolled into one.
It was a matchday 10 game at the Agege Stadium in Lagos, Nigeria between the home side Mountain of Fire and Miracles (MFM) and reigning Nigerian champions Rangers International of Enugu.
MFM made incursions into the Rangers area but their efforts failed to yield any fruit as Rangers held firm, but the deadlock would later be broken in spectacular fashion by Olatunbosun’s wonderful volley.
The build up that lead to the goal was like something out of a football video game.
Rangers midfielder Chinedu Udeagha lost the ball in the midfield to MFM left-back Julius Emiloju, who prodded the ball forward to the diminutive midfield maestro Chukwuka Onuwa.
Onuwa found space to lob the ball to Stephen Odey, who on noticing three Rangers defenders closing in on him, flicked the ball with the inside of his left boot to Olatunbosun.
The striker's sixth sense with into gear.
In one swift movement, Olatunbosun contoured his body to meet the direction of the ball while flicking it over a visibly bamboozled Etim Matthew with his left foot, before taking a 180-degree turn and letting fly with the same left foot.
The ball went all of 20 yards, taking a swerve on the way and landing in the top right corner of the Rangers net.
Rangers goalkeeper Itodo Akor was transfixed, the stadium went into gasps and screams of amazement, and the MFM bench went haywire with celebration.
The internet also went into overdrive.
Olatunbosun’s goal was made from the heavens, a new star had been born.
The goal was received with applause from all over the world with influential pundits, blogs, websites and papers all raving about the goal.
Fox Soccer picked the strike as the goal of the weekend while French Newspaper L’Equipe described it as ‘A magnificent goal in Nigeria'. Website 101greatgoals.com also got in on the act, describing Olatunbosun's stunner as a ‘Puskas award contender’.
ESPN, BBC and others all paid tribute to the wonderful goal as British Newspaper Daily Mirror had a headline that read ‘Ridiculous team goal and finish from Nigerian Premier League could be an early contender for 2017 Puskas Award', in acknowledging the beauty of the goal and the build up to it.
Olatunbosun's goal also made it into CNN’s ‘Goal of the Week’ nominations and is currently leading the poll with a huge margin.
Fans at the game left the stadium grinning with glee at their money well spent with the MFM strikers’ goal surely stuck in their head as a story to be told to future generations.
Olatunbosun has written his name into Nigerian league folklore with his stupendous goal.
The goal was definitely worth the hype.
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