AFCON: Super Eagles beats Egypt to 9th bronze

Nigeria’s Super Eagles on Saturday defeated the Pharaohs of Egypt to claim the bronze medal at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

The third-place playoff, played at the Stade Mohamed V in Casablanca, Morocco, ended goalless after regulation and extra time, forcing the contest to be decided by a penalty shoot-out, which Nigeria won 4–2.

The Super Eagles held their nerve in Casablanca after a tense, goalless contest, with goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali emerging as the decisive figure in the shoot-out.

The victory means Nigeria have now won all eight third-place matches they have contested at the AFCON finals — a record unmatched by any nation in the competition’s history.

Nigeria had already entered the play-off with an extraordinary reputation, having claimed bronze on every previous occasion they reached this stage.

Saturday’s success over Egypt not only preserved that perfect run, but also increased Nigeria’s overall bronze-medal tally to nine, further distancing them from their continental rivals.

Although the Super Eagles found the net twice during open play, both goals were ruled out for offside. Egypt also failed to break down Nigeria’s disciplined defence in a tense encounter dominated by tactical organisation and solid goalkeeping.

In the shoot-out, Nigerian goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali emerged as the hero, saving penalties from Egyptian stars Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush.

His decisive interventions proved crucial after Nigeria’s first taker, Bashiru, saw his effort saved by the Egyptian goalkeeper.

Nwabali quickly redeemed Nigeria’s early setback by denying Salah’s kick, before going on to stop another Egyptian attempt to tilt the momentum firmly in Nigeria’s favour.

During open play, Nigeria came closest to scoring when Paul Onuachu headed into the net, only for the effort to be disallowed following a VAR review for offside. Both sides created half-chances, but neither defence allowed sustained pressure to translate into a goal.

Despite remaining lively throughout the match, Egypt captain Mohamed Salah was largely contained by Nigeria’s backline, while the Super Eagles struggled with finishing despite controlling key phases of play.

The match offered both football-loving nations an opportunity to salvage pride after semi-final disappointments.

Egypt had earlier been edged out by Senegal, while Nigeria crashed out following a penalty shoot-out defeat to host nation Morocco with 2-4 penalty loss.

With the victory, Nigeria secured third place at AFCON 2025, ending the tournament on a positive note.