10 thrilling late goals scored in World Cups

#5 Roberto Baggio vs Nigeria, 1994

Roberto Baggio saved Italy from early elimination at the 1994 World Cup

Nigeria, in their debut World Cup in 1994, put on an impressive show in the group stages. They began with a 3-0 win over a Bulgarian side which had Hristo Stoichkov, one of the best strikers in the world.

They lost their second match against Argentina in spite of taking an early lead. However, a 2-0 win over underdogs Greece along with a superior goal difference won Nigeria their group. Their opponent in the round of 16 was an Italy side who had started their campaign poorly with a 1-0 loss to the Republic of Ireland.

However, a 1-0 victory against Norway followed by a 1-1 draw against Mexico was enough for Italy to progress as one of the best 3rd-placed teams.

In the round of 16 encounter, Nigeria shocked the crowd by taking the lead in the 25th minute thanks to Emmanuel Amuneke. The Italians then went in pursuit of an equalizer but were unable to get one. To make matters worse, they were reduced to 10 men due after the sending off of Gianfranco Zola.

When it seemed that Nigeria would pull off a big upset, Italy finally found their equaliser. Salvation came in the form of talisman Roberto Baggio who received the ball at the edge of the penalty area from defender Roberto Mussi and hit it past Nigerian goalie Peter Rufai to level the scores in the 88th minute.

Baggio later scored the winning goal for Italy in extra time, a 102nd minute penalty. He scored three further goals in the tournament as Italy finished runners-up with Baggio being awarded the Silver Ball.