Lionel Messi had scored in the third minute in Porto Alegre, and the Beira-Rio was still roaring when Ahmed Musa curled Nigeria level barely 80 seconds later. Argentina won 3-2. The Super Eagles went through anyway, and Stephen Keshi had a World Cup knockout tie to prepare.
At a glance:
| Coach | Stephen Keshi |
| Captain | Joseph Yobo |
| Group F | Iran 0-0, Bosnia 1-0, Argentina 2-3 |
| Round of 16 | Lost 2-0 to France, Brasilia, 30 June 2014 |
| Base camp | Campinas, Sao Paulo state |
| Top scorer | Ahmed Musa, 2 goals |
| Home-based players | 4 of 23 |
The 23 Keshi took to Brazil
Four came straight from the NPFL, a Keshi signature. Clubs below are as listed at the time of the tournament.
| Player | Pos | Club in 2014 |
|---|---|---|
| Vincent Enyeama | GK | Lille |
| Joseph Yobo (c) | DF | Norwich City |
| Ejike Uzoenyi | MF | Enugu Rangers |
| Reuben Gabriel | MF | Waasland-Beveren |
| Efe Ambrose | DF | Celtic |
| Azubuike Egwuekwe | DF | Warri Wolves |
| Ahmed Musa | FW | CSKA Moscow |
| Peter Odemwingie | FW | Stoke City |
| Emmanuel Emenike | FW | Fenerbahce |
| John Obi Mikel | MF | Chelsea |
| Victor Moses | MF | Liverpool |
| Kunle Odunlami | DF | Sunshine Stars |
| Juwon Oshaniwa | DF | Ashdod |
| Godfrey Oboabona | DF | Rizespor |
| Ramon Azeez | MF | Almeria |
| Austin Ejide | GK | Hapoel Be'er Sheva |
| Ogenyi Onazi | MF | Lazio |
| Michael Babatunde | MF | Volyn Lutsk |
| Uche Nwofor | FW | Heerenveen |
| Michael Uchebo | FW | Cercle Brugge |
| Chigozie Agbim | GK | Gombe United |
| Kenneth Omeruo | DF | Middlesbrough |
| Shola Ameobi | FW | Newcastle United |
Not everyone accepted the selection quietly. In 2020, Chinedu Obasi alleged that he was left out for refusing to pay a bribe. Keshi's old assistants rejected it. Daniel Amokachi asked why the claim surfaced only when “the man in charge is no longer alive to answer it”.
Curitiba, Cuiaba, Porto Alegre
A goalless draw.
That was the opener against Iran at the Arena da Baixada on 16 June, the first 0-0 of the tournament, with Mikel named man of the match and Enyeama needed for a reflex save from a Reza Ghoochannejhad header. Cuiaba was better. Bosnia had an Edin Dzeko goal ruled out for offside, and in the 29th minute Peter Odemwingie finished from close range after good work from Emmanuel Emenike. It was Nigeria's first World Cup win since 1998.
Then Messi.
He scored twice. Musa answered twice, the second just after half-time. Marcos Rojo then headed the winner from a Messi corner, and the group was Argentina's. Defeat still meant the last 16, because Iran lost to Bosnia.
The bonus row in Campinas
The squad flew back to its base in Campinas. Nobody trained the next day. According to TheCable, players wanted their bonuses paid before the France game, and Keshi could not force them onto the pitch. Al Jazeera put the figure at $30,000 per player for reaching the second round. The fear behind it was simple. Players said money from the 2013 Confederations Cup had never arrived.
The fix came from Abuja, by telephone. President Goodluck Jonathan spoke with Keshi and Yobo late on the Thursday, the Associated Press reported, and assured them they would be paid. On Saturday all 22 fit players trained. Michael Babatunde, with a fractured wrist from the group stage, was the only absentee.
There was no cash flight for Nigeria.
The plane full of banknotes that summer belonged to Ghana, whose president John Dramani Mahama sent about $3 million to Brazil.
Brasilia and the end of an era
Against France on 30 June, Nigeria held out for 79 minutes. Emenike had a goal disallowed and Yohan Cabaye hit the bar before Enyeama, so often the hero, failed to hold a corner from the left and Paul Pogba headed into the net in front of 67,882 at the national stadium. Then Yobo. Under pressure from Antoine Griezmann, the captain turned a Mathieu Valbuena cross past his own goalkeeper in stoppage time.
Keshi was furious with the American referee, Mark Geiger. Ogenyi Onazi, he said, “received very bad tackles and nothing was done about it”. He admitted it was the first time he had ever spoken about a referee. He and Yobo both announced afterwards that they were stepping away. Keshi died in Benin City on 8 June 2016, aged 54. The full story is in our Stephen Keshi biography.
Where are they now
Ahmed Musa was named general manager of Kano Pillars in July 2025 by Kano State governor Abba Kabir Yusuf. Kenneth Omeruo joined Romania's CFR Cluj on a free transfer from Kasimpasa that same month, while Peter Odemwingie, who scored the goal that beat Bosnia, went in a different direction entirely and qualified as a PGA golf professional in 2024.
Mikel has become one of the loudest critics of the Glass House, and after the 1-1 draw with South Africa in September 2025, he said the whole NFF board “need to go” if Nigeria missed the 2026 World Cup, which they did. Emenike, speaking in March 2026, argued the current squad has talent but lacks “a game plan”, and pointed back to the competition for places under Keshi in 2013. Enyeama said in 2024 that he had not applied for the Super Eagles job because he lacked coaching certification and was concentrating on his hotel business.
Brazil 2014 remains the last time the Eagles reached the knockout rounds of a World Cup, after the class of 1994, captained by Keshi, and the 1998 side; Russia 2018 ended in the group. Twelve years on, after two missed tournaments in a row, that list of 23 looks less ordinary than it did at the time.
This article was most recently revised and updated 20 hours ago
