The Super Eagles of Nigeria defeated Egypt 4–2 on penalties on Saturday to secure the bronze medal at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, following a tense third-place playoff at the Stade Mohammed V in Casablanca.
The match ended 0–0 after 90 minutes, with neither side able to find a breakthrough. It was goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali who once again stole the spotlight in the shootout, saving penalties from Mohamed Salah and Oumar Marmoush to seal Nigeria’s ninth third-place finish in AFCON history.
Nigeria fielded a rotated squad, with Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman starting on the bench. Nwabali kept his place in goal, protected by a backline of Bright Osayi-Samuel, Igoh Ogbu, Semi Ajayi and Bruno Onyemaechi. In midfield, Fisayo Dele-Bashiru and Raphael Onyedika provided balance, while Moses Simon and Samuel Chukwueze supported strikers Paul Onuachu and Akor Adams.
The Super Eagles started on the front foot, with Adams forcing a save in the 13th minute. He thought he had opened the scoring later in the first half with a powerful header, but the goal was ruled out after VAR showed Onuachu had fouled an Egyptian defender in the build-up.
Ademola Lookman replaced Onuachu after the break and had an immediate impact, seeing a goal chalked off for offside. Despite late substitutions and increased pressure from Nigeria, both teams remained locked in a stalemate at full time.
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In the penalty shootout, Dele-Bashiru missed Nigeria’s first attempt, but Nwabali’s save from Salah kept the scores level. Akor Adams converted, and Nwabali followed up by denying Marmoush. Moses Simon and Alex Iwobi then calmly slotted their kicks, before Lookman fired home the decisive penalty to complete the win.
The victory offered some consolation for Nigeria after their semi-final defeat to hosts Morocco, while Egypt were recovering from a narrow loss to Senegal. The result also extended Nigeria’s strong record in third-place matches at the AFCON, rounding off their 2025 campaign on a positive note.
