The Super Eagles of Nigeria beat the Pharaohs of Egypt 4-2 on penalties in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations third-place playoff on Saturday after a 0-0 draw in normal time, earning the consolation prize and a morale boost.
The match at Casablanca finished scoreless as both teams created chances but could not find the net.
The Super Eagles made changes to a tired squad because of injuries and fatigue, starting five players different from their semi-final side.
The altered lineup gave exciting players minutes but left the team short on cohesion in the final third.
Egypt also rotated but kept a more settled back line.
The Super Eagles goalkeeper, Stanley Nwabali, was the standout figure.
He kept a clean sheet during the 90 minutes and saved two penalties in the shootout, stopping Egypt's first two spot kicks from their most dangerous players, Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush.
Fisayo Dele-Bashiru missed his spot kick but it mattered little, as Ademola Lookman buried the final one to give the Super Eagles their ninth AFCON bronze, the most in the competition’s history.
Nwabali's performance won him the man-of-the-match award.
“I'm happy," Nwabali said upon receiving the award. "I dedicate it to the fans and my teammates. It is not the position we wanted, but we will take it."
The best open-play moments came in the first half.
The Super Eagles had a goal disallowed for an infraction in the buildup to the goal.
In the shootout, Nigeria converted four of five penalties, and Egypt managed two successful penalties but could not recover from the misses.
Fans applauded both sides at the final whistle.
