By Ghazali Ibrahim
The Super Eagles of Nigeria secured a third-place finish at the Africa Cup of Nations 2025 after a tense penalty shootout victory over Egypt on Saturday.
The third-place playoff at the Stade Mohammed V ended 0-0 after regulation time, with both teams creating limited scoring opportunities in a tightly contested match. After neither side could break the deadlock, the contest was decided from the penalty spot.
Nigeria held their nerve in the shootout, winning 4-2, as goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali produced crucial saves, including denying attempts from Egyptian stars Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush. Ademola Lookman calmly converted the decisive penalty to secure the bronze medal for the Super Eagles.
The victory extends Nigeria’s remarkable unbeaten record in AFCON third-place games, with this marking their ninth bronze medal in the tournament’s history.
Out of 21 appearances, Nigeria has been on the podium 17 times, winning 3 Gold, 5 silver and 9 bronze.
During normal play, Nigeria thought they had taken the lead through Paul Onuachu, but the effort was ruled out after a VAR review. Lookman also found the net in the second half, only for the goal to be disallowed for offside.
For Egypt, the defeat ends their campaign without a podium finish despite a strong tournament showing, while Nigeria wraps up their AFCON 2025 journey on a positive note ahead of the final between Morocco and Senegal.
The Super Eagles now turn their attention back home, celebrating another strong performance on the continental stage after the disappointment of their semi-final loss to hosts Morocco earlier in the tournament.
