World Cup’s 101 Most Memorable Moments: Sunday Oliseh’s screamer vs. Spain

By Doug McIntyre
FOX Sports Soccer Writer

Editor’s note: Each day between now and the kickoff of the first match of the 2022 FIFA World Cup on Nov. 20, we’ll unveil a different memory from World Cup history. The countdown from 101 continues with Sunday Oliseh’s rocket against Spain in 1998.

There’s something to be said for sheer power.

Pretty passing sequences and deftly placed shots are nice and all, but sometimes you don’t want to watch the lock get picked — you want to see a ball hit with enough force to blow the entire house down.

That’s what Sunday Oliseh gave us in Nigeria’s first match of the 1998 World Cup. The defensive midfielder wasn’t known for scoring — he only managed one other goal in 53 international appearances — but he knew what to do when a Spain clearance fell to him 30 yards from goal with about 12 minutes remaining in the game.

Fernando Hierro and Raul scored for Spain on either side of halftime, but Nigeria equalized twice. With time running short, Hierro cleared a Super Eagles throw-in deep in his own end. Oliseh caught it on the half-volley and thundered a low strike just inside the post past stunned La Roja backstop Andoni Zubizarreta.

Oh my, Oliseh

Sunday Oliseh hit a screamer from 30 yards out in Nigeria’s 3-2 victory over Spain at France ’98.

The kick couldn’t have been more ferocious. Not only was it enough to give Nigeria the win, it helped propel them to the top of Group D. Spain, meantime, failed to survive the group stage.

Talk about a powerful shot.

One of the leading soccer journalists in North America, Doug McIntyre has covered United States men’s and women’s national teams at multiple FIFA World Cups. Before joining FOX Sports in 2021, he was a staff writer with ESPN and Yahoo Sports. Follow him on Twitter @ByDougMcIntyre.