Nigeria Super Eagles Defeat Egypt to Claim AFCON 2025 Bronze

By Ugbede James Ankpa

Nigeria’s Super Eagles on Saturday, January 17, 2026, at the Stade Mohamed V in Casablanca, Morocco, defeated the Pharaohs of Egypt in the third-place match of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) to secure the bronze medal.

The fiercely contested encounter ended goalless after regulation time and extra time, forcing the match to be decided by a penalty shootout.
Although the Super Eagles found the back of the net twice during open play, both goals were ruled out for offside, denying Nigeria a breakthrough.
In the ensuing shootout, Nigeria converted four penalties, while Egypt managed only two, handing the Super Eagles a deserved victory.
Unlike their semi-final outing against hosts Morocco, Nigeria’s goalkeeper, Stanley Nwabali, emerged as the hero of the day, producing decisive saves against Egyptian superstars Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush.
Nigeria’s Bashiru, who stepped up to take the opening penalty, saw his effort saved by the Egyptian goalkeeper, momentarily dampening Nigerian hopes. However, the mood quickly shifted when Mohamed Salah missed Egypt’s first kick, with Nwabali producing a brilliant save to keep the ball out of the net.
The Nigerian goalkeeper was not done yet, as he went on to stop another Egyptian effort, further tilting the shootout in Nigeria’s favour.
With the victory, Nigeria officially secured third place at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
During regulation time, the Super Eagles came closest to breaking the deadlock when Paul Onuachu headed the ball into the net, only for the goal to be chalked off after a VAR review confirmed an offside infringement.
The tension-filled contest saw both sides create half-chances in a match defined by tactical discipline and solid defensive organisation, as neither team allowed sustained pressure to translate into a goal.
Egyptian talisman Mohamed Salah remained lively throughout the match but was effectively contained, preventing him from exerting his usual influence. Nigerian regulars also played key roles, though both teams struggled with finishing in the final third.
The encounter offered both football-loving nations an opportunity to salvage pride following semi-final heartbreaks, with Egypt edged out by Senegal and Nigeria eliminated by hosts Morocco via a penalty shootout.