Sports
Nwabali the hero as Super Eagles beat Egypt on penalties to win AFCON bronze
Nigerian goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali emerged the hero on Friday night as the Super Eagles defeated Egypt 4–2 on penalties to claim the bronze medal at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Casablanca.
The third-place playoff at the Mohammed V Stadium ended goalless after regulation time, before Nwabali saved spot kicks from Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush to seal victory for Nigeria.
The win offered welcome relief for the Super Eagles after recent shoot-out heartbreaks that denied them a place at the 2026 World Cup intercontinental playoffs and a spot in the AFCON final earlier this week.
Nigeria had lost on penalties to the Democratic Republic of Congo in November and again to hosts Morocco in the semi-final three days earlier.
Against Egypt, however, the Chippa United goalkeeper delivered when it mattered most.
After Fisayo Dele-Bashiru missed Nigeria’s opening penalty, Akor Adams, Moses Simon and Alex Iwobi all converted. Ademola Lookman then sealed the win after Nwabali’s decisive saves.
For Egypt, Ramy Rabia and Mahmoud Saber scored, but misses from Salah and Marmoush proved costly.
The result preserved Nigeria’s perfect record in AFCON third-place matches, extending their run to eight victories from eight play-offs.
Disallowed Goals and VAR Drama
The match itself was keenly contested but lacked goals. Nigeria thought they had taken the lead in the 36th minute when Paul Onuachu headed home, but a VAR review ruled the effort out for a foul on Hamdy Fathy, with the striker booked in the process.
Lookman also had a goal disallowed early in the second half after being flagged offside, while Egypt goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir was forced into several saves as Nigeria pressed.
Egypt made six changes from their semi-final loss to Senegal, while Nigeria rotated five players. Both Victor Osimhen and Lookman started on the bench, with Osimhen never introduced, raising questions about his fitness.
Despite a strong Egyptian presence in the squad, most of the Casablanca crowd backed Nigeria, reflecting the long-standing rivalry between Egypt and Morocco.
In the end, the deadlock remained unbroken until penalties, where Nwabali’s calm and composure ensured Nigeria finished the tournament on a positive note.
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