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1994 felt like a world away. Nigeria had left the USA as heroes, with neutral adoration from all over the globe. Now they were back in the States - but the excitement around the Super Eagles had all but vanished.

It was the 1996 Olympic group stage and like so many defences to come, Nigeria had no idea how to deal with Ronaldo. He'd just drift. From the left wing to the right, back to the centre. Do you follow? Leave him? It was barely the performance of a striker: he was playing three roles, swinging across the frontline like a pendulum. Or was that... Ronaldinho?

In the presence of Ronaldo Guiaro, Il Fenomeno - who'd sign for Barcelona that summer - took the moniker "Ronaldinho" upon his back. He had the flair of his temporary namesake but he tore through Hungary and left the Super Eagles breathless with the coldness he'd become famous for. On 30 minutes, 21-year-old Sunday Oliseh would try and restrain the Brazilian sensation, only for him to literally shrug him off and bullet the ball into the bottom corner. Ronaldo was unplayable. You heard it here, first.

It was an evening of a cat toying with a mouse and it summed up a mood. It was tiring to watch: it was tiring to be a Nigerian defender. They were not having fun at the Olympics.

The attention was on this exciting, young Brazil side; on the United States' chances of winning gold in both the men's and women's event; on how good Argentina and Portugal's future sides could both be, with glistening youngsters brought along to blood in Atlanta. The Super Eagles were not fancied. They had other concerns. They had no money for transport, with the players having to spend their own money on buses. In a vile low point, hotel staff refused to launder the team's jerseys because of stories of AIDS, according to Victor Ikpeba.

We had quarrels in-camp, goalkeeper Joseph Dosu concurred. Some of our players were coming and going like Nwankwo Kanu who was trying to get his contract sorted at Inter Milan and Tijani Babangida flying back and forth to make sure he got his contract with Ajax sealed.

Nigeria looked like a divided house: especially so when they amusingly split up and sat next to the Hungarian players during mealtimes in the hotel, in an attempt to intimidate their opponents. Manager Jo Bonfrere had already quit over unpaid wage and was tempted back into the fold by players. It looked like an iffy decision: Brazil's 1-0 Ronaldo-inspired victory had seemingly put Nigeria in their place. They qualified for the next round - but on goal difference.

The Super Eagles galvanised. They had young talent amidst their ranks and players who would grow into leaders; titans of top sides. They called on individual talent in the next round: they could afford that, at the very least. This was a golden generation before the cliche got tossed around; a side of Jay-Jay Okocha, Taribo West, Celestine Babayaro, Oliseh and Kanu. Despite boasting the mercurial Cuauhtemoc Blanco, Mexico surely didn't stand a chance?

Okocha stepped up, channeling divine inspiration. His touch was velvet, his control devastatingly simplistic and 20 minutes into the game, he cushioned a wayward cross on his chest, before rocketing the ball past Jorge Campos. When Nigeria got a second to settle it six minutes from time, courtesy of a back-flipping Babayaro, all the off-field drama - Ikpeba having to drive a team bus and Kanu popping out to phone Milan - seemed to dissipate.

The semi-finals were a big deal for an African nation - even if this was youth level football. This was at a time, of course, when only Cameroon had won a knockout game in a World Cup - six years prior, in Italy. Nigeria had arrived at this tournament with expectations at rock bottom and now they were in the final four. Likeable, impressively able to switch off background noise... but could Nigeria actually progress much further? Unlikely.

Fittingly for an Olympic Games, Athens was the scene of a date with destiny (though Georgia, not Greece), as Nigeria met Brazil once more. It was hard to predict anything other than "same again": Ronaldo was still possessed, scoring two to bury Ghana in the previous round, as Brazil struck four. When Flavio Conceicao put the Selecao into a lead a minute into the game, it looked like another tiring afternoon.

But the Nigerians never stopped fighting. A young Roberto Carlos would turn the ball into his own net for an equaliser, only for Bebeto and Conceicao once more to give Brazil a 3-1 lead into the break. Again, the Super Eagles fought back: temporary bus driver and substitute forward Ikpeba gave them hope with 12 minutes to spare, before Kanu equalised at the death. Four minutes into extra-time, he'd strike again, capitalising on a defensive calamity and calmly looping the ball over Dida, who dived too early.

It was the shock of the tournament: and it was entirely deserved. It felt surreal - and it fixed fractures.

Football is the one thing in Nigeria that brings us together, an emotional Okocha said after the game. For the people back in my country, this is maybe the happiest day of their lives.

With the Super Eagles on a high, Argentina awaited in the final. Finally, the feeling of 1994 was back.

But so were a few players who had beaten them two years ago - one of them being Diego Simeone in midfield. Nigeria would come to develop a weird rivalry with Argentina: they've faced them in four World Cups since '94. The generation changes. The result - still - hasn't.

That afternoon in Athens in 1996, however, saw a seesaw match that no World Cup would ever witness between the odd couple. Again, Nigeria went behind early, equalising through Babayaro before Hernan Crespo dispatched a contentious penalty to put Argentina a goal up once more. Just as he'd done against Brazil, Bonfrere looked to his bench, as Wilson Oruma and Emmanuel Amunike came on.

The Super Eagles were coming alive late on in games. As if on cue, 16 minutes from time, Daniel Amokachi found the answer, lobbing Pablo Cavallero for a leveller. The energy completely changed, as Argentina collectively sighed after twice letting a lead slip. This was becoming a habit for Nigeria, who pressed for a winner. That spirit of '94, of wanting to dominate, to drag the game to their opponents, hadn't left them: especially not with Olympic gold on the line. In the 90th minute, Amunike won a free-kick. The unthinkable happened for Argentina.

Like an unchoreographed line-dance troupe, the Albiceleste backline rose, trying to play Amunike offside. Roberto Sensini didn't move with the rest of the defence: the result was that the ball landed squarely at Amunike's feet. Time stood still for him to take a free shot at Cavallero, about 10 yards out. The Argentinians protested before the ball even hit the back of the net: but it was futile. Nigeria were Olympic champions.

Every one of those young gentlemen - even the three older stars - turned to precious metal at the final whistle. Immortalised in a country's national narrative; 18 pillars of sporting triumph. Try telling anyone from Nigeria that football at the Olympics doesn't matter, these days.

The win over Argentina that day became folklore back home, paving the way for successes from other African sides on the world stage and igniting the careers of future superstars. Sunday Oliseh called it the greatest moment in the Super Eagles' history - he was just 21 and would play for Ajax and Dortmund. Jay-Jay Okocha would become an icon transcendent of Nigerian football - but this moment was perhaps his proudest achievement, too. Kanu achieved greatness across Europe: but he was made in North America.

And despite the struggles that Nigeria endured, in the end, they didn't just rely on the individual brilliance of players that the nation would come to hold on its shoulders. There was grit in there. Because while the 1994 dazzled with their confidence, the class of 1996 dug in. This was a team who was never beaten. A team couldn't concede an inch to - especially in the final 15 minutes of games.

Argentina is good, Kanu said after the match. Nigeria is gold. And so was every member of that legendary side.

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From fallout to triumph: How Nigeria stunned the world to win Olympic gold in 1996 - FourFourTwo USA

The midfielder has now earned three senior caps while making a believer out of the U.S. head coach

U.S. men's national team boss Gregg Berhalter said he did not believe how good Gianluca Busio was until he got the midfielder in camp, despite consistent praise from Sporting KC head coach Peter Vermes.

Vermes recently spoke to Goal about Busio's potential, likening the midfielder's game to Italian legend Andrea Pirlo.

And, as Busio looks set to move to Serie A side Venezia in a multi-million dollar transfer, Berhalter says he's now a believer after the teenager earned his third USMNT cap in a 1-0 win against Canada in the Gold Cup on Sunday.

"Peter's been singing his praises for the last couple of years and I didn't really know what he was about until I started working with him," Berhalter said after the USMNT's 1-0 win over Canada in their Gold Cup group stage finale. "When I see this kid in training and games, he is special.

"For him to deal with the game like he did and play the way he did, it shows a lot about his quality. I thought, in the beginning of the game, he was excellent in his position. Again, we asked him to have a complicated role moving up in offense and down in defense and he was able to understand it, grasp it and perform well."

Busio wasn't the only youngster to earn the praise from Berhalter after what ended up as a fairly ugly 1-0 win over Canada.

He also discussed the rise of Miles Robinson and James Sands, both of whom shined after captain Walker Zimmerman went down with an injury.

Robinson is seen as a player that could play his way into the World Cup qualifying squad, and Berhalter acknowledged that the Atlanta United defender has leveled up in recent days.

"When you have speed like he does,it makes it so much easier on your group, whether that's stepping in or it's recovering behind you," Berhalter said. "He had a number of one-v-one duels, I think of one in thesecond half against [Tajon] Buchanan, who is a really good player, and he handled it well.

"Miles has taken the next step and now it's about in knockout games, can he recover now and then, in a knockout game, can you repeat that same type of performance?"

Sands, meanwhile, shined in a unique role that saw him step into the midfield in possession.

The NYCFC youngster has shown that he has plenty of ability on the ball, and Berhalter believes there's more to come from Sands in the weeks and years to come.

"with James, I really liked him movingup into midfield," Berhalter said. "He gave us a numerical advantage and we're happy with it. I think at times it worked really well.

"James, in the first 20 minutes was, I think, one of the best players in the field. He dominatedthe game stepping forward, winning the ball, really calm on the ball, and then as it went, like most of the team, it was hard to sustain that level."

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USMNT boss Berhalter: I didn't believe how good Busio was until I started working with him - Goal.com

England's captain Harry Kane broke his goalscoring drought as England overcame Germany 2-0 in the Euro 2020 round of 16 at Wembley.

England eventually made the breakthrough when substitute Jack Grealish fired the ball into the feet of Harry Kane who passed outwards to Luke Shaw.

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The hosts then doubled their lead with four minutes of time to go, as Grealish crossed to find the head of Kane. The Tottenham Hotspur striker headed into the net past a helpless Manuel Neuer.

England's captain Harry Kane missed a golden opportunity in the final seconds of the first half when the ball bounced kindly to him in the Germany box. A poor first touch allowed the German defense to clear.

The second half started in the same manner before Sterling scored allowing England to control the game.

Speaking to the BBC after the game, goalscorer Sterling said: "We knew we needed to put a big performance in against a good side and we did that today.

"Doing it for your country will always be special and it is a special moment for me."

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England finally beat Germany in a major tournament knockout game after a 55-year wait, moving on to the Euro 2 - Business Insider India

LONDONThe brutal efficiency, the defensive rigor, the cold-eyed finishes. England had seen them all over decades of heartbreaking clashes with Germany. And it knew that Tuesdays Euro 2020 knockout game against its historically punishing opponent would only bring more.

What the Three Lions couldnt predictbecauseyears of frustration had taught them not towas that all those killer qualities would belong to England for a night.

In its most significant victory since the 1966 World Cup final, England not only beat Germany 2-0 to cap a wild 72 hours of tournament soccer. It also opened up the most promising path to the Wembley Stadium final of any team left in the Euros.

Englands road now runs through Ukraine, in Saturdays quarterfinal, and then the winner of Denmark vs. Czech Republic. The other half of the draw, meanwhile, still contains Belgium, Italy, Spain, and Switzerland, all ranked in the top 13 teams in the world.

Englands players resisted the urge to get carried away. Forty-five thousand fans were inside Wembley Stadium on Tuesday to do that for them. They had stewed over defeats to Germany at Euro 1996 and the 1990 and 2010 World Cups. Entire generations of England supporters had come and gone without experiencing a single knockout-round win over their bitter rival.

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England Opens a Lane to the Euro 2020 Final - The Wall Street Journal

If Euro 2020 has taught us anything about football, it's that you cannot take anything for granted and on any given day anyone can beat anyone.

Prior to the Round of 16 commencing, we knew the tournament would lose two big guns. Portugal or Belgium and England or Germany would exit before the quarter-finals.

The reality has proved somewhat harsher for the favourites with soon-to-be-dethroned European champions, Portugal; reigning world champions, France; big-hitters Germany and Netherlands all eliminated.

The infamous Group F has no survivors, and you would have needed some crystal ball to foresee that.

Of the big movers, Belgium, Denmark, Spain and England were impressive.

Denmark are undoubtedly the story of the tournament so far. Having overcome the worst of days in their opening clash with Finland, they have grown and have built up some serious momentum in this tournament.

Their game against Wales was one of the tougher ones to call, but they completely dismantled Rob Pages side, as Kasper Dolberg, another player 'unproven at this level, took the game by the scruff of its neck after he got the nod to start in place of the injured Yussuf Poulsen.

The former Ajax striker became Denmarks second ever player to score twice in a knockout game at the Euros, since Henrik Larsen netted two against Netherlands in 1992. That year! And youd have to wonder

First though, before any such talk of another unlikely title win should start to snowball, they must advance past the Czech Republic, the side that eliminated Netherlands, in what was probably the first genuine shock of the tournament.

Despite having dominated the game, the Netherlands looked lost after going down to 10.

The meeting of Belgium and Portugal was destined to be decided by a moment of magic or a seismic error and in the end, it was a little bit of both as Thorgen Hazard sent the holders packing.

The Italians were perhaps the team that didnt quite live up to their fanfare billing in their 2-1 victory over Austria, and will undoubtedly face their toughest opponent of the tournament so far in Belgium, even though Roberto Martinez may well be without Eden Hazard and Kevin de Bruyne.

If The Bangles had written Manic Monday about any day, it might have been the one jut gone as Spain and Switzerland advanced in drama-filled encounters that went to extra-time, the Swiss prevailing on penalties.

This Swiss team have a history with penalties.

I was working with Northern Ireland on that fateful November World Cup play-off night in 2017, when they were inexplicably awarded a penalty after the ball hit Corry Evans back. Ricardo Rodriguez scored in Belfast that night, but missed his spotter this night, when he could have put his side 2-0 up.

Instead, within two minutes, France were level as Benzema got on the end of Mbappes ball. When Les Bleus went 3-1 up, that appeared to be that, but the Swiss never gave up and fully deserved the victory.

England v Germany wasnt the open carnage of the Monday, but more tactical shadow-boxing, great to watch in its own right.

As it turned out, Gareth Southgates charges played a tense, cleverly-balanced game, matching up the German three-at-the-back system, nullifying the effectiveness of Kimmich and Gosens in the wide areas.

It was a win they deserved and earned, and they too now have a bit of momentum heading into their last-eight clash with Ukraine, another clash no-one foresaw. Least of all Sweden.

After what weve seen so far, youd be hard-pressed to predict what will come next.

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Knockout drama will have quarter-finalists on edge - RTE.ie