Thunder Balogun’s goal scoring abilities just unforgettable – Onigbinde

The 2-time Chief Coach of the Tremendous Eagles of Nigeria and the primary Nigerian coach to take the senior nationwide soccer crew to the FIFA World Cup finals at Korea/Japan 2002, Chief Adegboye Onigbinde, has declared that, the wonderful purpose scoring skills of Nigerian soccer legend, Teslim ‘Thunder’ Balogun, are simply unforgettable, because the household marks his 51st memorial anniversary at present, Sunday, July 30, 2023, in Lagos.

Onigbinde disclosed that, the very best targets he had seen scored by any soccer participant lifeless or alive had been those scored by the late Teslim ‘Thunder’ Balogun.

“One in all these targets was scored by ‘Thunder’ Balogun on the Olubadan Stadium in 1968 within the match between the Nigerian nationwide crew, then referred to as the UK Vacationers and England.

“In that match, the English gamers, haven garnered some important details about the lethal strikes of Balogun, shut marked him every time he gained possession, to stop him from wreaking havoc on their crew.

“After not permitting him play freely for many components of the sport, ‘Thunder’ modified his attacking play which was troublesome for the English gamers to know. He finally gave them the most important shock of their lives, as they had been crushed to their methods.

“Thunder Balogun obtained a cross simply exterior the English crew’s penalty field, and together with his again to purpose, he flicked the ball with a sensational drive with a lot energy. The strike went straight to the far angle of the purpose submit. The English goalkeeper adopted the ball and dived full size to cease the ball from going to the online, however his timing was not quick sufficient to cease the goal-bound strike as he by no means anticipated such a strike, from a participant backing the purpose submit. It was a implausible purpose which utterly beat the goalkeeper.

“It’s was a purpose I’ll always remember in my life, as a result of i do know different gamers shall be in search of the chance to show to see the place of the goalkeeper to choose his angle earlier than capturing, however ‘Thunder’ Balogun’s brilliance was too fast for him to plan saving the ball from going into the goalpost. It was an unforgettable second and it’s indelible 51 years in thoughts,” Chief Onigbinde mentioned.

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