How I stopped Salah, Marmoush’s penalties – Nwabali

Nwabali denied spot kicks from Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush, swinging the shootout firmly in Nigeria’s favour and earning the Man of the Match award.

Super Eagles goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali has revealed how calm thinking and collective effort helped Nigeria secure the bronze medal at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations as he saved two penalties in the third-place play-off win over Egypt in Casablanca.

Nwabali was the hero as Nigeria defeated Egypt 4–2 on penalties after a tense goalless draw at the Stade Mohammed V on Saturday.

The Chippa United goalkeeper denied spot kicks from Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush, swinging the shootout firmly in Nigeria’s favour and earning the Man of the Match award.

Reflecting on the contest, Nwabali described the encounter as a battle of nerves between two African heavyweights still hurting from semi-final exits.

“It was a very difficult match against a great Egyptian team; nobody wanted to make a mistake,” he said.

The bronze-medal match followed Nigeria’s painful semi-final defeat to hosts Morocco, where the Super Eagles lost on penalties after 120 minutes without a goal.

Against Egypt, coach Éric Chelle reshuffled his side, resting some regular starters, while Nigeria again relied on discipline and defensive shape to stay in the game.

Egypt, beaten 1–0 by Senegal in the semi-finals, struggled to create clear chances, while Nigeria had two goals ruled out, including an Akor Adams header in the first half and an early second-half effort from Ademola Lookman.

With no extra time played, the match went straight to penalties.

Nwabali said composure was the key moment of the night.

“I stayed calm, read the takers and trusted my instincts; thankfully, it worked for us,” he said.

After both teams missed early kicks, Akor Adams, Moses Simon and Alex Iwobi all converted for Nigeria before Lookman fired home the decisive penalty to seal victory.

The goalkeeper was quick to shift attention away from individual praise, stressing that Nigeria’s ninth AFCON bronze medal was the result of unity.

“This victory came from collective effort. The defenders were incredible, and everyone stayed united,” he noted.

Nigeria have now won all their AFCON third-place matches, extending a long-standing record that dates back to 1976.

Saturday’s success also ensured the Super Eagles ended the tournament on a high after scoring 14 goals across the competition and keeping clean sheets in the knockout rounds.

Nwabali added that the team’s mental strength was decisive after earlier disappointment.

“We had setbacks, but we stayed focused and believed in ourselves until the end,” he said.

For Nigeria, the bronze medal offers consolation and pride, while Nwabali’s performance underlined his growing importance to the national team ahead of future continental and World Cup challenges.

(NAN)