……Sends Egypt Home via 4-2 Penalties.

The Nigerian Super Eagles on Saturday night at the glamorous city of Casablanca, Morocco clinched her 9th Bronze medal in AFCON history by dashing the hopes of the Pharaohs of Egypt and their Captain, legendary Mohammed Salah to go back to Cairo and celebrate a medal when Nigeria beat them via penalty shootout exactly the way Morocco stopped Nigeria in the semifinal 4-2.

Unfortunately for Salah he retires with this match without a medal and Goalkeeper Nwabali saving his kick which was the first for Egypt before Nwabali again saved the second kick now from Omar Marmous with his leg no wonder CAF promptly announced Nwabali as the MAN OF THE MATCH.

The cover photo by Eniola Olatunji is Nwabali speaking after he got his award.Fisayo Dele-Bahiru who scored against Morocco in penalty lost the first kick for Nigeria before Akor Adams scored; Moses Simon also scored; penalty shy Alex Iwobi also scored, then former African Footballer of the Year, Ademola Lookman sealed the Bronze medal for Nigeria with a dazzling kick.

This shootout is 48th ever at AFCON history and the 3rd at 2025 AFCON tournament, one at the Quarterfinals, one that involved Nigeria versus Morocco at the semifinal and now this Nigeria versus Egypt.

CAF had banned two pivotal players of Egypt, Marwan Attia and Salah Mohsen for two matches for alleged misconduct against Senegal in the semifinal. Nigeria benched Captain Wilfred Ndidi, star boy Victor Osimhen; Alex Iwobi and Calvin Bassey was also serving a match ban so Simon Moses wore the Captain’s arm band.

Lookman and Iwobi later came into the match in the second half. Simon Moses got a yellow in the 45th and will miss the next CAF organized match.

Nigeria got a goal in the 36th minute when skyscraper Paul Onuachu headed into net a lofty pass from Samuel Chukwueze that beat Goalkeeper Oufa Shobeir of Egypt neatly but VAR disallowed the goal for an elbow foul from Mr. Skyscraper.

Egypt was not fanciful despite dominating the match as the team was only able to make a shot on target in 90 minutes from 4 shots at goal but thank God for their defence as Nigeria had 5 shots at goal and all 5 were on target, Nigeria had 4-2 corner kicks which the Defence warded off.

Egypt came to impress but were under pressure as the Moroccan fans at the stands raised massive support for Nigeria booing every Egyptian move.

They had 53-47% ball possession stringing 459-392 passes that produced no goal. Nigeria bagged all the 3 yellow cards of the match from 18-15 foul calls against Nigeria.

On historical records Egypt looks like Goliath to Nigeria having met 7 times with Egypt winning 4 of the matches, Nigeria won twice; of the 17 goals scored Egypt scored 10. Four times both countries met at AFCON where Egypt won twice and drew once.

Egypt has the highest victory scores of 3-2 achieved in a friendly match of 12th April 2012.Take a look at their last six encounters. Egypt 3-Nigeria 2 in a friendly of 12th April 2012; played 1-1 at an AFCON match of 25th March 2016; piped Nigeria 1-0 at another AFCON match of 29th March 2016 but Nigeria won by a lone goal in a friendly of 26th March 2019; at AFCON 2022 Nigeria at Group D match won by a lone goal scored by Kelechi Ihenacho in the 30th minute and before AFCON 2025 began Egypt won 2-1 in a friendly match.

Kelechi and five other legendary Nigerian players just flew into Morocco to support Nigeria against Egypt.Pharaohs of Egypt scored 9 goals conceding 4 goals with 2 clean slates defeating Zimbabwe 2-1; piped South Africa by a lone goal and played goalless with Angola at the group stages before halting the Cheetahs of Benin 3-1 at the round of 16 games; narrowly edged out Ivory Coast 3-2 at the quarterfinal and lost in the semifinal to Senegal by a lone goal.

Nigeria scored a whopping 14 goals conceding 4 with 2 clean slates beating Tanzania 2-1; defeating Tunisia 3-2 and halting Uganda 3-1 at the group games before mauling Mozambique with a thunderous 4-0 in the round of 16; silenced Algeria 2-0 in the quarterfinal and lost in the semifinal 4-2 on penalties after a pulsating 0-0 after 120 minutes.

Egypt ranked 35 in the world appearing for the 27th time at the mundial are the most decorated national team on the continent winning AFCON titles seven times in 1957, 1959, 1986, 1998, 2006, 2008 and 2010.

Nigeria ranked 38 in the world is making her 21st appearances at the mundial winning the title three times in 1980, 1994 and 2013 won Silver five times and Bronze eight times.

The finals will be a Lions war between hosts Atlas Lions of Morocco and former Champions Teranga Lions of Senegal in Rabat at 9pm. Nigeria is to travel to Rabat tomorrow morning to collect their Bronze medals after the conclusion of the final game when award ceremonies will take place.

Nigeria’s Super Eagles hopes for final were dashed yesternight in a penalty shootout when Samuel Chukwueze and Bruno Onyamaechi failed to convert, giving Morocco a 4–2 shootout victory.

AFCON 2025 host country, Morocco beat Nigeria’s Super Eagles on Wednesday 4–2 in a penalty shootout after a tense 0–0 draw at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium.

While Nigeria will contest third place on Saturday with Egypt, who lost 1–0 to Senegal earlier on Wednesday, Morocco will now face Senegal in Sunday’s final, aiming to claim only their second AFCON title, following their last triumph in 1976.

The semi-final was an evenly contested affair over 120 minutes, with Morocco dominating much of the attacking play, registering 16 shots to Nigeria’s 2.

Both sides created chances, but Nigeria’s Stanley Nwabali and Morocco’s Yassine Bounou kept their teams in the game with key saves.

Star forwards Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman struggled to influence the match, and their efforts in extra time were thwarted by the hosts’ defence and goalkeeper.

Morocco captain Achraf Hakimi was superb at right-back, as was his counterpart on the left side, Noussair Mazraoui.

Both played prominent roles in the attack, keeping pressure on Nigeria while also limiting the impact of the Super Eagles’ attackers.

The Atlas Lions held their nerve in the shootout, with En-Nesyri converting the decisive penalty to send the home team into the final.

Both Paul Onuachu and Fisayo Dele-Bashiru scored, while Chukwueze missed, and Onyamaechi’s attempt was saved.

In a tense and tightly contested semi-final clash at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, host nation Morocco advanced to the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2025 final after a 4-2 victory over Nigeria in a penalty shootout, following a gripping 0-0 draw through 120 minutes of regulation and extra time.

The match, a heavyweight showdown between the Super Eagles and the Atlas Lions, remained goalless despite moments of intense pressure from both sides.

Nigeria, who entered the knockout stages with a perfect record and prolific scoring form, struggled to break down Morocco’s resolute defense, managing only a handful of shots across the entire contest.

Morocco, buoyed by a passionate home crowd in Rabat, dominated large periods but couldn’t convert their chances, with goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali producing key saves to keep the Super Eagles alive.

As the game headed to penalties, drama unfolded. Yassine Bounou, Morocco’s world-class shot-stopper, emerged as the hero once again, making crucial saves from Samuel Chukwueze and Bruno Onyemaechi. Morocco’s takers — including Neil El Aynaoui, Eliesse Ben Seghir, Achraf Hakimi, and the decisive Youssef En-Nesyri — converted confidently to seal the win.

The result sends Morocco into their first AFCON final since 2004, where they will face Senegal on Sunday in a bid to claim their first continental title in 50 years (since 1976).

For Nigeria, the defeat marks another painful penalty shootout exit, ending their hopes of a fourth AFCON crown and first since 2013.

The Super Eagles will now prepare for the third-place playoff against the loser of the other semi-final. Morocco’s progression keeps the dream alive for the hosts, who have shown defensive solidity and composure under pressure throughout the tournament.