Goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali was the hero as the Super Eagles of Nigeria beat the Pharaohs of Egypt 4-2 on penalties after it finished goalless to claim another AFCON bronze in the third-place match in Casablanca on Saturday, www.aclsports.com reports.
The Chippa United shotstopper made two brilliant stops in the penalty shootout to help the Super Eagles secure their ninth third-place finish, extending their unbeaten record in the competition.
Having suffered defeats to Senegal and Morocco in the semifinals, respectively, Egypt and Nigeria square off in the third-place game at Stade Mohammed V in Casablanca, Morocco. Nigeria’s impressive record in such matches stood at eight wins out of eight, while Egypt had enjoyed just three wins from a possible five.
Nigeria’s head coach, Eric Chelle, decided to make some changes to his squad. Paul Onuachu came into the starting lineup for Victor Osimhen, while Samuel Chukwueze, Moses Simon, and Igoh Ogbu were introduced for Ademola Lookman, Frank Onyeka, and Calvin Bassey (suspension), respectively.
In front of the 38,113 spectators, Nigeria enjoyed a bright start to the encounter, but they could not make a mark or trouble the Egyptian defence. The pace of the game suggested a lack of interest from the two teams, as the two goalkeepers were barely tested.
Nigeria then had a goal disallowed for a foul just before the break. Paul Onuachu, who had directed Akor Adam’s goal past the goalkeeper, had earlier fouled an Egyptian defender during the build-up process. That was the major talking point of the half, as the game went into the break goalless.
Just before the restart, Ademola Lookman came on for Paul Onuachu, and just moments later, he had the ball in the net. However, the goal was disallowed for offside. The second half, just like the first 45 minutes, barely came to life as the two teams settled for a penalty shootout to determine the winner. In the end, it was Nigeria who triumphed 4-2 thanks to Stanley Nwabali’s penalty heroics.
