Afcon 2026: Nwabali’s Penalty Heroics Secure Nigeria Bronze Against Egypt

Nigeria secured third place at the Africa Cup of Nations after defeating Egypt 4-2 on penalties, following a 0-0 draw. Stanley Nwabali saved two spot-kicks, and Ademola Lookman converted the winning attempt to clinch the bronze medal.

The shoot-out started nervously for both sides, but Nigeria recovered strongly. Fisayo Dele-Bashiru had an effort saved, as did Mohamed Salah, before Nigeria scored their next four penalties. Nwabali then denied Omar Marmoush, setting up Lookman to drive home decisively from 12 yards.

During normal time, Nigeria saw two goals ruled out after close calls. Akor Adams thought the deadlock was broken on 36 minutes when Samuel Chukwueze’s header brushed off Adams and wrong-footed Mostafa Shobeir, but the referee punished

a foul on Hamdi Fathy earlier in the move.

Immediately after the restart, Nigeria believed they had scored again. Lookman headed into an empty net after Shobeir parried a shot, yet replays showed Adams had been offside when forcing the initial save just 18 seconds into the second half, and the goal was cancelled.

Egypt created early danger when Salah stabbed goalwards from close range, but Nwabali reacted sharply to smother. At the opposite end, Adams saw a deflected effort drop safely into Shobeir’s grasp, as both goalkeepers handled first-half threats with confidence.

Nigeria increased the tempo as the match wore on. Raphael Onyedika and Moses Simon both tried their luck from distance, drawing saves from Shobeir. Despite the growing pressure, Egypt stayed compact, and neither side found a breakthrough before the contest moved to penalties.

Stanley Nwabali Appreciation Tweet pic.twitter.com/VRmYvhVVMXSuper Eagles (@NGSuperEagles) January 17, 2026

Nigeria vs Egypt AFCON stats and data debrief

Both teams again struggled in front of goal, mirroring their semi-final displays. Across 90 minutes, Egypt and Nigeria produced only nine shots combined, with five for Egypt and four for Nigeria, the lowest total recorded in any match at this AFCON edition.

Nigeria at least tested the goalkeeper with every effort, registering four shots on target compared with Egypt’s single accurate attempt. Eric Chelle’s side might feel aggrieved after seeing two goals disallowed, yet Nigeria’s penalty composure and Nwabali’s saves ultimately decided the third-place contest.

Nigeria entered this match with 14 goals in the tournament, just two short of Ivory Coast’s record tally of 16 set in 2008. Failing to score meant that landmark remained intact, but the shoot-out victory still ensured a podium finish at the Africa Cup of Nations.