Nigeria goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali was named Man of the Match following a superb display in Super Eagles’ third-place playoff victory over Egypt on Saturday.
Nwabali emerged as the hero of the encounter, producing two decisive penalty saves in the shootout to give Nigeria a crucial advantage—especially after Fisayo Dele-Bashiru missed the Super Eagles’ opening kick.
His calmness and excellent shot-stopping proved pivotal as Nigeria triumphed 4–2 on penalties.
The match ended goalless after 90 minutes of regulation time, pushing the contest straight to a shootout, where Nwabali’s brilliance ensured Nigeria secured the bronze medal at the tournament.
Meanwhile, hosts Morocco will face Senegal in the final of the 2025 Africa Nations Cup. The championship match is scheduled to take place at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat.
Players of Super Eagles will have to travel to Rabat to receive their bronze medals in Sunday before returning to the country.
The three time Africa. Champions have never lost any of their previous third place matches stamping their dominance as the team with highest number of medals at the tournament.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
