CASABLANCA — Nigeria secured third place at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations on Saturday, defeating Egypt 4-2 on penalties after a 0-0 draw in Casablanca, with Super Eagles goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali producing two decisive saves in the shootout.
Nwabali denied Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush—two of Egypt’s most reliable finishers—tilting the contest Nigeria’s way after the teams were unable to find a breakthrough in regulation time. Egypt’s Mostafa Shobeir kept the Pharaohs in contention by saving Nigeria’s opening kick from Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, but the Super Eagles converted enough of their remaining efforts, with Ademola Lookman dispatching the winning penalty to settle the match.
Nigeria will feel they had done enough to win inside 90 minutes. Eric Chelle’s side twice had the ball in the net, only for VAR and offside calls to intervene. A first-half effort was ruled out after referee Jalal Jayed reviewed the incident and penalised Paul Onuachu for a foul in the build-up, while Lookman—introduced at half-time—later saw a close-range header disallowed for offside.
Reuters reported that Nigeria showed greater attacking intent overall, while Egypt—who made multiple changes from their semi-final defeat—created their best first-half openings through Salah, forcing Nwabali into sharp saves. There was no extra time, in line with tournament practice for the third-place match, sending the game straight to penalties.
The result delivers Nigeria’s ninth third-place finish in AFCON history, reinforcing their reputation for finishing strongly in bronze-medal matches. It also provides some consolation after consecutive shootout disappointments: Nigeria lost to hosts Morocco on penalties in the semi-finals, while Egypt’s hopes of lifting a first AFCON title with Salah were ended by Senegal in the last four.
Attention now shifts to Sunday’s final in Rabat, where Morocco face Senegal. Morocco playmaker Brahim Díaz enters the decider as the tournament’s leading scorer with five goals.
