AFCON Cup: Nigeria Beats Egypt On Penalties To Secure Third Place

AFCON Cup: Nigeria beats Egypt on penalties to secure third place (Image Source: IANS)

Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium: Nigeria secured third place at the CAF Africa Cup of Nations following a 4-2 penalty shootout victory over Egypt on Saturday at Casablanca's Mohammed V Stadium.

The match went straight to penalties after a goalless draw in regulation time, reported Xinhua.

Nigeria goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali saved two shots from Egyptian stars Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush, before Ademola Lookman converted the winning kick for the Super Eagles.

Nigeria came into the match after losing to Morocco on penalties in the semifinal, while Egypt was defeated by Senegal 1-0. Success kept a perfect record for Nigeria in third-place AFCON matches after winning seven previous playoff games.

Before Lookman scored, Fisayo Dele-Bashiru missed the Eagles’ first kick. Then, Akor Adams, captain Moses Simon, and Alex Iwobi all scored.

Premier League players Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush both had their kicks saved by Stanley Nwabali before Ramy Rabia and Mahmoud Saber scored.

Egypt made six changes to the team from their semifinal loss to Senegal, while Nigeria made five changes from their loss to host Morocco three days earlier.

Captain Salah started for the Pharaohs, while usual starters like goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy and forward Marmoush were on the bench.

Nigeria and then Egypt dominated the first half, which ended without any goals on a cold, cloudy evening in the Moroccan capital.

Paul Onuachu thought he had scored in the 36th minute when he headed the ball past goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir.

However, a VAR check by the Moroccan referee showed that Onuachu had accidentally elbowed Hamdy Fathy. The goal was disallowed, and Onuachu received a yellow card.

Coach Eric Chelle substituted Lookman for the second half, taking Onuachu off. Lookman found the net early in the second period, but the goal was ruled out for offside.

Nigeria came out strong after halftime, launching several attacks. After a dull first half, Shobeir, the son of former Egypt goalkeeper Ahmed Shobeir, had to make multiple saves.

Salah rarely posed a threat, and when he did drive in with the ball, the danger was quickly dealt with. Marmoush entered the game after the hour mark to help the struggling offense.

As the match neared its final 10 minutes, there was no sign that Osimhen would come on, indicating he might not be fully fit.

Adams and then Marmoush both had chances to score in rapid succession, but neither could find the finishing touch under pressure.

As the match neared its final 10 minutes, there was no sign that Osimhen would come on, indicating he might not be fully fit.

The final will be contested by Senegal and host Morocco on Sunday at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat.

Article Source: IANS