Stanley Nwabali delivered a goalkeeping masterclass as Nigeria sealed bronze medal at the 2025 African Cup of Nations tournament after a 4-2 penalty shootout win over Egypt on Saturday.
The goalkeeper produced two fantastic stops in the shootout , while the Super Eagles scored four of their five spot-kicks to cap an impressive tournament with a third-placed finish.
Nigeria had suffered an agonizing penalty shootout defeat to Morocco in their semifinal encounter, while Egypt had narrowly lost 1-0 to Senegal.
Eric Chelle rang the changes to his team, leaving out the likes of Alex Iwobi, Ademola Lookman, Victor Osimhen and Wilfried Ndidi, while Calvin Bassey missed out due to suspension.
The three-time champions had already scored 14 times at the tournament, but needed two more to equal Ivory Coast’s tally of 16 scored at the 2008 African Cup of Nations, which is the most in the tournament history.
Akor Adams had the first attempt on goal in the clash, but was repelled by Shobeir who was in the Egypt goal in place of El Shenawy.
Nwabali then denied Mohamed Salah, before Nigeria then had a goal ruled out for offside moments later. Adams thought he had put them ahead, but his strike was ruled out for an accidental elbow by Paul Onuachu in the buildup.
Lookman came on at halftime and had the ball in the back of the net one minute later, but the Super Eagles had another goal ruled out as the game remained goalless.
There was no much action in the clash and with no goals after 90 minutes of action, it went into penalties as no extra-time was played in the bronze medal match.
Dele-Bashiru stepped up first for Nigeria, but was denied by Shobeir, before Nwabali saved from Salah and Omar Marmoush to give his side the advantage.
Adams, Moses Simon, Iwobi all scored, before Lookman netted the decisive kick to give the Super Eagles their ninth bronze medal at the AFCON tournament.
The final will take place at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium between Senegal and Morocco tomorrow night, ending almost a month of action-packed tournament.
Olakitan is a young writer with a strong passion for sports, having gained experience with IndyPress and Nimelssa Press. His enthusiasm for sports inspired him to cover events both within his school and beyond. With a deep understanding of the game and a refined skillset, he brings sports coverage to a broad, global audience in a way that’s engaging and accessible.
