Category: Soccer

Nigeria’s Super Eagles wrapped up their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations campaign with a bronze medal after defeating Egypt 4-2 on penalties in a dramatic third-place playoff on Saturday night in Casablanca. The encounter at the Stade Mohammed V finished goalless at the end of regulation time, with both teams struggling to find a breakthrough in a tightly contested affair. With no extra time played, the match went straight to penalties, where goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali emerged as the hero once again. Nwabali produced two crucial saves in the shootout, denying Mohamed Salah and Oumar Marmoush, as Nigeria claimed their ninth third-place finish in AFCON history and continued their impressive record in bronze medal matches. Interim coach shuffled his squad for the playoff, leaving Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman among the substitutes. Nwabali started in goal behind a back four of Bright Osayi-Samuel, Igoh Ogbu, Semi Ajayi and Bruno Onyemaechi. In midfield, Fisayo Dele-Bashiru partnered Raphael Onyedika, while Moses Simon captained the side from the wing alongside Samuel Chukwueze. Paul Onuachu and Akor Adams led the attack. Nigeria showed early intent and nearly took the lead in the 13th minute when Adams’ shot was deflected wide by an Egyptian defender. The tempo soon dropped, however, with both sides cancelling each other out in midfield and limiting clear-cut chances. The Super Eagles thought they had broken the deadlock in the 36th minute after Adams nodded home a powerful header, but the goal was overturned following a VAR check that ruled Paul Onuachu had fouled a defender in the build-up. Onuachu was booked for the incident. The teams went into halftime still level, and Lookman was introduced at the start of the second half. He made an immediate impact by putting the ball in the net shortly after the restart, only for the assistant referee’s flag to rule the effort offside. As the game wore on, Nigeria pushed for a winner, with Alex Iwobi coming on for Osayi-Samuel to add creativity. Despite their efforts, chances remained scarce, and the final whistle confirmed penalties would decide the outcome. The shootout began nervously for Nigeria when Dele-Bashiru missed the opening kick, but Nwabali quickly turned the tide by saving Salah’s attempt. Adams converted his penalty before the Nigerian goalkeeper denied Marmoush to give the Eagles the advantage. Simon and Iwobi calmly dispatched their kicks, and although Mahmud Sabir scored for Egypt, Lookman stepped up to convert the decisive penalty and seal victory. Nigeria had dropped into the playoff after suffering a painful semi-final defeat to tournament hosts Morocco on penalties, while Egypt reached the match following a narrow 1-0 loss to Senegal in the last four. The Super Eagles topped Group C with wins over Tanzania, Tunisia and Uganda before overcoming Mozambique and Algeria in the knockout rounds. Egypt, seven-time AFCON champions, advanced from Group B and eliminated Benin and Ivory Coast prior to their semi-final exit. Saturday’s win brought Nigeria’s AFCON journey to a positive close, offering consolation after missing out on a place in the final and underlining their consistency on the continental stage.

Neither Nigeria’s Super Eagles nor the Pharaohs of Egypt will approach Saturday’s bronze-medal match of the 35th Africa Cup of Nations with a carefree attitude or in a state of absent-mindedness. Both continental powerhouses, with 10 AFCON titles between them, arrived in the Kingdom of Morocco late last year with determination to win another AFCON title. However, their campaigns stuttered at the semi-final stage, with the Pharaohs upended by the Lions of Teranga in Tangier, and the Super Eagles pipped in a penalty shootout in Rabat. While Egypt legend Mohamed Salah and Nigeria’s star-boy Victor Osimhen continue to rue the absence of the AFCON gold medal in their collection, Saturday’s confrontation provides the opportunity for a consolation prize in African football’s flagship championship. With a total of 14 goals in their six matches and unbeaten in regulation time, the Super Eagles will feel hard-done-by not reaching the Final. However, words of encouragement from here and there, far and near, have enabled them to quickly pick up their morale from the floor. The team trained on arrival in Casablanca on Thursday evening, and are scheduled for the official training at the Raja Oasis (training ground of top African club Raja Casablanca) on Friday evening. Incidentally, Egypt and Nigeria have the highest tally of AFCON bronze medals, with the Super Eagles having won eight times and Egypt six times. Victory for Nigeria will put daylight between the two teams on this score, while victory for Egypt will further narrow the gap between both teams. Remarkably, Nigeria, which has never lost an AFCON bronze-medal match, won its first bronze in 1976 at the expense of Egypt. A brace by Haruna Ilerika and an excellent strike by Mudashiru Lawal (both of blessed memory) handed Nigeria a 3-2 win in Addis Ababa. Nigeria’s last AFCON bronze-medal accomplishment was realized in Egypt, when Odion Ighalo’s 2nd minute strike was enough to pip Tunisia in Cairo. Nigeria also won the bronze medal in 1978 (declared winner following abandonment of the bronze-medal match by Tunisia), in 1992 (after 2-1 defeat of Cameroon in Dakar), in 2002 (after 1-0 defeat of hosts Mali in Mopti), in 2004 (after 2-1 defeat of Mali in Monastir), in 2006 (after a lone-goal defeat of Senegal Cairo) and in 2010 (after a lone-goal defeat of Algeria in Benguela). Saturday’s encounter will be the 25th clash between both countries at senior level. For context, it will be their 10th confrontation at the Africa Cup of Nations, with Nigeria having won five of the previous nine, with two matches drawn (scoreless draws in Rabat in 1988 and in Tunis six years later). Perhaps their most memorable encounter at the AFCON was the semi-final battle in Abidjan in 1984, when the Eagles came from two goals down to tie the game (thanks to a penalty by Stephen Keshi just before half time and a sublime header by Bala Ali in the second half). Nigeria went on to win the game 8-7 after a penalty shootout. Their most recent clash at the AFCON was in a group phase match in the northern Cameroonian town of Garoua in January 2022, when Kelechi Iheanacho’s first-half goal separated both teams. Venue is the elegant Stade Mohamed V in Casablanca, with kick off set for 5pm. SUPER EAGLES, PHARAOHS IN HISTORY 13 Dec 1959: Nigeria 2-6 Egypt (Olympic Gamesq: Lagos) 01 Jan 1960: Egypt 3-0 Nigeria (Olympic Gamesq: Cairo) 29 Nov 1960: Nigeria 1-2 Egypt (Friendly: Lagos) 24 Nov 1963: Egypt 6-3 Nigeria (AFCON: Kumasi) 14 Jan 1973: Nigeria 4-2 Egypt (All-Africa Games: Lagos) 14 Mar 1976: Egypt 2-3 Nigeria (AFCON: Addis Ababa) 08 Oct 1977: Nigeria 4-0 Egypt (FIFA World Cupq: Lagos) 21 Oct 1977: Egypt 3-1 Nigeria (FIFA World Cupq: Cairo) 15 Mar 1980: Nigeria 1-0 Egypt (AFCON: Lagos) 18 Feb 1983: Nigeria 0-0 Egypt (Friendly: Lagos) 20 Feb 1983: Nigeria 1-1 Egypt (Friendly: Kaduna) 14 Mar 1984: Egypt 2-2 Nigeria (AFCON semi: Abidjan) – Nigeria win 8-7 after penalties 20 Mar 1988: Egypt 0-0 Nigeria (AFCON: Rabat) 05 Mar 1990: Egypt 0-1 Nigeria (AFCON: Algiers) 30 Mar 1994: Egypt 0-0 Nigeria (AFCON: Tunis) 21 Sep 1995: Egypt 1-0 Nigeria (All-Africa Games: Harare) 25 Nov 2002: Nigeria 1-1 Egypt (Friendly: Lagos) 12 Jan 2010: Egypt 3-1 Nigeria (AFCON: Benguela, Angola) 12 Apr 2012: Egypt 3-2 Nigeria (Friendly: Cairo) 25 Mar 2016: Nigeria 1-1 Egypt (AFCONq: Kaduna) 29 Mar 2016: Egypt 1-0 Nigeria (AFCONq: Alexandria) 26 Mar 2019: Nigeria 1-0 Egypt (Friendly: Asaba) 11 Jan 2022: Nigeria 1-0 Egypt (AFCON: Garoua, Cameroon) 16 Dec 2025: Egypt 2-1 Nigeria (Friendly: Cairo)