Egypt failed to win the bronze medal in the AFCON 2025 after losing on penalty shootout to Nigeria in the third-place decider at Casablanca’s Stade Mohamed V on Saturday.
After the match ended goalless in regulation, the Super Eagles held their nerve from the spot, edging the Pharaohs 4-2 in the shootout to claim third place
Liverpool winger Mohamed Salah and Manchester City forward Omar Marmoush uncharacteristically failed to convert the first two penalty kicks, while Rami Rabia and Mahmoud Saber scored for Egypt.
Egypt coach Hossam Hassan reshuffled his starting lineup in the match, handing starts to Nantes striker Mostafa Mohamed and Ahly winger Mahmoud ‘Trezeguet’ Hassan.
Manchester City forward Omar Marmoush began the game on the bench as Hassan opted to deploy a 4-3-3 formation.
Hassan also fielded Khaled Sobhi and Hamdy Fathy in defense as replacements for the injured duo Yasser Ibrahim and Ahmed Fattouh, while midfielder Mohanad Lashin stepped in for the suspended Marwan Attia.
Mostafa Shobeir started in goal for the injured first-choice keeper Mohamed El-Shenawy.
Shobeir heroics not enough
Despite the Pharaohs starting cautiously, the first dangerous attempt on target came just two minutes in through Trezeguet, who sent a cross from the left wing into the box, but Nigeria goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali blocked the effort.
Five minutes later, the Super Eagles began pressing the Egyptian defense, though they struggled to create clear-cut chances.
Midfielder Ahmed ‘Zizo’ Sayed attempted to release Salah in the 14th minute with a long pass behind the defensive line, but Nwabali reacted quickly to clear the danger.
In the 27th minute, Salah missed a golden opportunity from close range after receiving a brilliant assist from defender Mohamed Hany, with the ball deflecting out for a corner.
Nigeria thought they had taken the lead in the 36th minute through Sevilla striker Akor Adams, but the referee overturned the goal following a VAR review due to a foul by Paul Onuachu, who received a yellow card for the challenge.
Nigeria coach Eric Chelle introduced Ademola Lookman for Onuachu after the break, and the substitute made an instant impact.
Lookman found the net shortly after the restart, but the goal was disallowed for offside. Lookman continued to trouble the defense, forcing two excellent consecutive saves from Shobeir.
In the 60th minute, Hassan introduced Marmoush and Mahmoud Saber for Trezeguet and Zizo.
Marmoush added much-needed vitality to the frontline and was at the center of a penalty shout ten minutes before the final whistle, though the referee waved play on after a VAR review.
In the 85th minute, Nigeria piled on more pressure, but they were repeatedly denied by the brilliance of Shobeir and a resilient Egyptian backline.
With neither side able to find a breakthrough in the dying minutes, the match headed straight to penalties, where the Super Eagles eventually prevailed to claim the podium spot.
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