Amokachi rolls back the years, recalls hilarious substitution in Everton’s FA Cup win

Former Super Eagles and Everton forward, Daniel Owefin Amokachi, has revealed the trick he pulled to land the Merseysiders in the final of the 1994/1995 FA Cup tournament, Soccernet.ng reports.

Nicknamed ‘The Bull,’ it was almost impossible to wrestle the 54-year-old off the ball in his playing days. He was part of the Golden Nigerian generation that won the 1994 AFCON and secured a gold medal in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

Amokachi won the FA Cup with Everton in the same season, but the ride through the semi-final was something of mastery from the ex-Club Brugge man.

Get Our Sports News First – Join Our WhatsApp Channel Now!

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE;

In the FA Cup semi-final, Tottenham Hotspur welcomed Everton to the White Hart Lane. While Spurs were fighting to get into top four, Everton were in a relegation battle.

Matt Jackson broke the deadlock for the Merseysiders in the 35th minute, and luck shone on them in ten minutes after the restart as Graham Stuart grabbed Everton’s second goal of the game, leaving the home fans stunned. Jürgen Klinsmann pulled one back for Spurs in the 63rd minute, but what followed was impeccable.

Everton striker, Paul Rideout, picked up an injury in the 71st minute and tried to continue the game, but was unable to. The club’s coach, Joe Royle, wasn’t planning on making a change, so Amokachi took matters into his own hands.

He’d just joined the club the previous summer for £3m and went on to meet the assistant manager Willie Donachie, claiming he’d been told to come on by the head coach.

“Rideout got a knock and went down, and if you play the same position, you jump off your feet and start warming up and getting ready.

“He got up but went down again. Everybody knew I was in very good shape and ready to go. I just went to Willie [Donachie, assistant manager] and I told him, ‘The gaffer says you need me on.

“When you look back at the clip, you can see how furious Joe Royle was. He ran to the touchline, saying, ‘What are you guys doing?’ I looked back at him – we had done it already. If you pull me back, we’ll play with one less anyway,” the ex-Super Eagles coach said in quotes revealed by TalkSport.

While Joe Royle was livid, the decision paid off as Amokachi went on to score two goals, as Everton sealed a 4-1 win against Spurs.

“Ten minutes later – bang, and then another goal – bang – and Everton were in the final. Legendary moments like that keep your name in the limelight.

“It was meant to be, because if I didn’t score, then it would probably have been my last game for Everton.”

In the final, Amokachi didn’t have to try his trick again, as Rideout scored the opener against Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United on the half-hour mark. Amokachi came on in the 69th minute, but the game was done, and Everton were crowned champions.

“Beating the mighty Manchester United in the final, nobody saw it coming, and we did it because of the character that Joe Royle brought into the team. It is a day I will never forget.”

Amokachi ended up playing 54 games for Everton, scoring 14 goals and providing one assist, but his performance against Tottenham Hotspur will always be remembered by the club’s fans for years to come. The feat also saw him become the first Nigerian to win the FA Cup.