Stanley Nwabali was the hero, saving two penalty kicks, including one from Mohamed Salah as Nigeria broke a three-game penalty shootout hoodoo on Saturday, beating Egypt 4-2 on penalty kicks to secure a record ninth Africa Cup of Nations bronze medal at the Stade Mohamed V in Casablanca. The triumph means the Super Eagles opened even more daylight on the North Africans with a seventeenth podium finish, the most of any team at the competition.
Eric Sekou Chelle made five changes to his starting lineup from the last game, including two that were forced by either injury or suspension. Egypt also made changes, and were without the suspended Marwan Attia and Salah Mohsen. But the Super Eagles still had a team strong enough to not only hold off Salah and Egypt, but threaten and outshoot them over the course of regulation time.
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Samuel Chukwueze and Moses Simon, who led the team out in the absence of both Wilfred Ndidi and Victor Osimhen, tested the Egyptian defence in the first half. Nigeria had the ball in the net twice, but both were scratched off. First, Akor Adams thought he had headed Nigeria ahead on 36 minutes from Chukwueze’s cross, but the effort was ruled out for a foul by Paul Onuachu in the immediate buildup.
Substitute Ademola Lookman then also headed in two minutes into the second half, but that goal was chalked off for offside.
In the end, neither side scored for all 90 minutes and the game went straight to penalties. Fisayo Dele-Bashiru missed Nigeria’s first kick, but Nwabali saved immediately after from Salah and then against Omar Marmoush while Adams, Simon, Alex Iwobi and Lookman all beat goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir – son of legendary Egypt goalkeeper Ahmed Shobeir – to exorcise Nigeria’s recent penalty demons and claim a record-extending bronze medal.
Third time lucky on pens, but work to be done
As the game wound down into the last few minutes, many Nigerians, scarred by the outcomes of the last two shootouts Nigeria have been involved in, had already switched to desolation mode ahead of the kicks. And when Dele-Bashiru saw his first kick saved, it appeared to be déjà vu all over again.
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But with their third place playoff wins record on the line, the Super Eagles held their nerve, and played the remaining kicks to perfection, while goalkeeper Nwabali stared down Salah and Marmoush to save the two kicks that helped Nigeria get this one over the line. Nwabali rightfully won the man of the Match award. That meant that the Super Eagles players won Man of the Match in six of the seven games they played at this year’s tournament, with the semifinal loss against Morocco being the only blot on their copybook.
Penalty kicks may be a lottery but there is a considerable body of work showing that teams spend time and resources researching the best ways to play for a positive outcome. It is uncertain why their last two shootouts went as badly as they did, and little investment into research in that department is something that the NFF should consider as it is bound to prove beneficial for the team going forward.
Record bronze and podium, but more needed
It is now a record ninth bronze medal win for Nigeria at the Africa Cup of Nations, and they have still not lost a single one of these games that they have contested in. CAF might want to consider renaming that to the Nigeria Place Playoff, that is how dominant the Super Eagles have been. As a matter of fact, if the Super Eagles win a 10th bronze, maybe they can even consider upgrading it to an honorary gold.
Seriously though, as good as it is to win the bronze medal, again, there is still something of a hollow feeling about it. A joint record 17 appearances in the last four with Egypt, a sole record 17 podium places resulting in just three titles, is a very disappointing, measly return. Egypt have seven titles from the same number of appearances. Cameroon have five titles from their 10 appearances, Ghana have four from their 14 top four finishes and Ivory Coast have three, the same as Nigeria, from 11 appearances.
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After they won their fifth bronze medal in 2004, it was christened the “Golden Bronze” back home in Nigeria. But that should have worn thin by now. A team of Nigeria’s stature should be now take a gold or nothing approach going forward. The ambition for the next two tournaments in 2027 and 2028, should be to bring that fourth and possibly fifth title home. Anything else should be considered a failure.
To be clear, this is not to downplay the excellence this team has shown at this tournament, against the odds and the lack of belief from many Nigerians before they had even kicked a ball. It is, in fact, commendable. What is also true is that Nigeria must stop heading into Afcon with such shambolic displays that the bar is set so low that when they eventually do what they should it is seen and celebrated as over-performance.
Second string shows up, again; bodes well for future
With Calvin Bassey suspended, Ndidi and Osimhen nursing knocks, Chelle went with Igoh Ogbu as replacement centerback, Raphael Onyedika keeping his place in holding midfield and Onuachu in for Osimhen. Lookman and Iwobi were also rested with Chukwueze and Dele-Bashiru coming in their place. In all, Chelle made five changes to his starting lineup from the last game against Morocco. As has been shown in the group fixture against Uganda, the Super Eagles barely lost a step even with those changes.
Ogbu may not quite be at the level of Bassey, but he handled the threat of Salah very competently. Onyedika, whose pass completion was over 90 percent in the last game against Morocco, was just as successful, and Chukwueze showed why he has been a starter in the past coming into this competition.
Missing one or two players has proven to be a serious setback for the Super Eagles in the past, but in the short time Chelle has been at the reins, that does not appear to be the case any more.
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Chelle still has goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo to call on in the future, there are defenders Benjamin Fredrick and Ola Aina waiting in the wings to return. Both young midfielders Tochukwu Nnadi and Ebenezer Akinsanmiro looked promising in the friendly against Egypt and Nnadi enjoyed a decent outing in his substitute appearance against Uganda. Under the Malian, it is also possible that Victor Boniface could return and thrive.
This strength in depth will be the foundation around which Chelle builds, and with their high energy, battling football, it would be hard for any but the top teams to beat this Super Eagles team when they are on their game and playing like this.
Chelle has still not lost an official game since taking over as Nigeria coach. That is 23 games and counting, and has only failed to score one, in that semifinal against Morocco.
The omens look good for Nigeria. But only if they keep the coach, at least for the medium term.
