SUPER Eagles goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali was the saviour of his side tonight as they defeated Egypt 4-2 on penalties to win the Morocco 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) third-place match in Casablanca.
After a drab 90 minutes ended 0-0 with few chances created, the match went straight to penalties, with extra-time shelved.
Nwabali saved two of Egypt’s four kicks, brilliantly stopping efforts from Pharaohs stars Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush, while the Super Eagles scored four of their five attempts.
Despite Eric Chelle opting to drop his regulars like Victor Osimhen, Alex Iwobi and Ademola Lookman from the starting line-up, the Super Eagles still had more shots than the Pharaohs.
The three-time African champions even had the ball in the net twice, but both times saw their ‘goals’ chalked off.
First, seven minutes from half-time, Paul Onuachu thought he had given the Super Eagles the lead when Akor Adams’ header deflected off him into the net.
However, the goal was disallowed after video assistant referee (VAR) checks revealed that the Trabzonspor striker had committed a foul while contesting for the ball.
Instead of celebrating his second goal of the tournament, Onuachu was given a yellow card for the foul.
Lookman, who came on for Onuachu at the start of the second half, nodded home with his first touch, but there was offside in the run-up before the Atalanta forward scored.
There was no significant chance afterwards and penalties followed, with Fisayo Dele-Bashiru missing the first one for the Super Eagles.
Nwabali then saved superbly from Salah and Marmoush as Adams, Moses Simon, Iwobi and Lookman converted for the Super Eagles three days after they lost their semi-final to Morocco on penalties.