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Nwabali Puts The Cherry On Eagles’ Cake
THE conference room at the Mohammed V Stadium in Casablanca was already filled up with waiting journalists when Super Eagles goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali walked in, in his all-yellow ensemble.
A short while earlier, he had stopped two penalty kicks by two very famous names in the Egyptian national team, Mohammed Salah of Liverpool Football Club and …..Mamoush of Manchester City as the AFCON 2025 match for third-place between Nigeria’s Super Eagles and the Pharaohs dragged into a shootout after a goalless 96 minutes.
Commeth the moment, commeth the Man! Just when Nigeria needed him most, Nwabali stood tall and delivered a Man of the Match performance. He saved two penalty kicks as Nigeria won the shootout 4-2. Now, the world media was waiting to talk to him, as the adulation continues to ring loud around him.
“I am very happy for my team that we’re going home with the Bronze medal from this AFCON,” he began. “We came here for the trophy but, having missed out in the semi-finals, we were determined not to go home empty-handed. I’m very happy that I was able to help my team in the (penalty) shootout. It’s a great feeling that I’m having right now.”
Reacting to further questions about his motivation, Nwabali said…..
“First, about my performance today, I feel this is not even the level that I’m supposed to be at for my country. I feel like giving them more. I just wanted to help my teammates. I wanted to put smiles on their faces and the faces of all Nigerians who have been supporting us. I wanted to make everyone happy.
“Mohammed Salah is one of the greatest players in Africa, even around the world. Talking about Marmoush, also, these guys are some of the best and I do watch them play for their club sides. So I felt it was going to be my great moment to stop their penalty kicks. That was my target. Surely, stopping Salah’s penalty kick is a big boost for me.”
Nwabali rounded off by thanking the Moroccan fans who came out en masse to support Nigeria against their own Egyptian rivals.
“I appreciate the fans. Without them, there’s nothing in football. We won’t enjoy it (without the fans). So I really want to thank all the (Moroccan) fans that came out to support Nigeria especially in this cold weather. It means that they truly love us. I appreciate them.”
In truth, Moroccan fans made their voices heard in Casablanca in support of the Super Eagles. Right from the time the two teams came onto the pitch for their pre-match warming up exercises, through the introduction of the players by the stadium announcer; through the rendition of the national anthem of both countries, and throughout the entire duration of the match itself, it was ear-splitting boos snd whistling against everything Egyptian and resounding applause for everything Nigerian. The most profound heckling was reserved for Egypt’s coach, Hossam Hassan, each time the ball went in his direction at the touch line. Obviously, the Moroccan fans knew about all that he has said about their country and they gave him a torrid time.
About the game itself, Eagles coach Eric Chelle underlined his confidence in his squad once again by leaving out several first team players from the starting line up without a fall in standard. Captain Wilfred Ndidi, center back Calvin Bassey and striker Victor Osimhen were completely absent for various reasons, while Alex Iwobi and Ademola Lookman only played as second half substitutes.
Chelle also showed a sleight of hand with his substitutions. After the first half ended arguably on an even keel, he tweaked his formation at halftime by moving Samuel Chukwueze from the right wing to join Iwobi in midfield. From then on, Nigeria seized control of the game and reduced Egypt’s threat to sporadic counter attacks. Ultimately, the Eagles victory in the penalty shootout was well deserved.
Nigeria’s bronze medal win at AFCON 2025 is a record-extending ninth bronze medal. It also ensured that the Eagles have never lost a third-place classification game once they got there, thanks to Stanley Nwabali’s heroics and the massive support of Moroccan fans.
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RUNNING INTO MARK GLEESON
*TWICE in my daily dairy on the AFCON, I have made reference to what a certain South African journalist, Mark Gleeson, wrote for Reuters wire service on Algeria’s hopeless complaints about the officiating of their game against Nigeria.
On Wednesday, January the 15th when the semi-final matches were played, I saw Mark on television doing a preview of the Senegal versus Egypt game with our own Daniel Amokachi in Tanger. Today (Saturday, the 17th), I actually ran into Mark at the media center in Casablanca as the Nigeria-Egypt game was about to kick off. Although we last met some 25 years ago in South Africa when they hosted the All-Africa Games, Mark remembered me instantly.
“Ah! It’s nice to see you again, Mumini. I still have many copies of your Complete Football magazine in my library,” he said. (Back in the day, Mark used to contribute reports and photographs to Complete Football International magazine). He then went on to place his massive elbow on my shoulder for a repeat of a similar photograph that we snapped in 1999.
Mark is the tallest human being I ever met. He is versatile, being a sports reporter, editor, photographer and television/radio commentator all rolled into his massive frame. Best of all, he is a man with a great sense of humour. I’m so pleased to have met him again after so many years.
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BACK IN RABAT FOR THE FINAL
*MY TEAM and I returned to Rabat on Friday night immediately after covering the Eagles’ game against Egypt in Casablanca. After Man of the Match Stanley Nwabali spoke to us at the post-match conference, we couldn’t wait to hear what Coach Eric Chelle had to say because we had to catch the last train from Casablanca to Rabat.
Luckily, we did and, by 11.00pm, we were back in our apartment in Rabat to prepare for the 2025 AFCON final between Morocco and Senegal. It promises to be an exhilarating encounter between the top two teams in Africa. Let’s Go!
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Mr.Chef Predicts again!
*I WAS live on Chief Segun Odegbami’s ‘Eagle 7’ sports radio station on Saturday morning before our game against Egypt. I was invited alongside my colleague, Dr. Mitchell Obi, to review AFCON 2025 on Odegbami’s weekly programme, “90 Minutes with Mathematical Segun Odegbami.”
The programme was explosive as Mitchell and I held different views about some salient points, particularly the status of Super Eagles coach, Eric Chelle. A recording of that conversation is already on YouTube.
Before we departed, Odegbami asked me to give my predictions of the third place playoff and the final. I was reluctant, having just come out of the semi-finals where I scored zero out of two predictions. But when Odegbami insisted, I picked Nigeria to beat Egypt and Morocco to beat Senegal.
The Super Eagles have delivered. Now, it’s the turn of the Atlas Lions!
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Morocco vs Senegal Head-to-Head
*This is the FIRST MEETING between both countries at an AFCON, but the 32nd clash overall. Senegal have six wins to Morocco’s 18, with seven draws.
Senegal will play in their fourth AFCON final and first since 2021, while Morocco will contest their second AFCON final and first since 2004. When Morocco lifted the trophy in 1976, the final stage was played in a round-robin format with no final.
They have met in qualifying for the FIFA World Cup and AFCON finals in the past. (I covered one of those in Casablanca in 1993. Morocco won 1-0 en route to qualifying for USA ‘94.
Most recently, they met at the 2024 edition of CHAN on 26 August 2025.
Morocco deposed defending champions Senegal in the semi-finals. The game ended 1-1 before Morocco triumphed 5-3 on penalties en route to reclaiming the title they lost to Senegal at the 2022 CHAN. Prior to that CHAN meeting, their previous clash on 9 October 2020 saw Morocco win a friendly international 3-1.
Morocco have won four of the last six games between the sides, with Senegal’s only victory in this period coming in the form of a 1-0 win on 25 May 2012 in a friendly match.
Morocco made their inaugural appearance at the FIFA World Cup in 1970, defeating Senegal in the qualifiers. A play-off match in Las Palmas was required after the aggregate score of the first two games ended 2-2, with Morocco winning the decider 2-0. Morocco also got the better of Senegal as they qualified for the 1994 FIFA World Cup.
Senegal reached their first FIFA World Cup finals in 2002. In the qualifying rounds, they faced Morocco, drawing away from home and winning at home. Both teams finished level on 15 points, with Senegal progressing on superior goal difference.
Morocco’s only AFCON title came in 1976. In the qualifiers, they faced Senegal in the first round, defeating them 5-2 on aggregate. Morocco won the first leg 4-0 in Fez, while Senegal won the second leg 2-1.
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Host Nation Statistics
*Morocco become the 15th host nation to reach the AFCON final.
Hosts have won the final 11 times previously: Ethiopia (1962), Ghana (1963), Sudan (1970), Ghana (1978), Nigeria (1980), Egypt (1986), Algeria (1990), South Africa (1996), Tunisia (2004), Egypt (2006) and Côte d’Ivoire (2023).
Hosts have lost in the final three times. Two of those defeats—Nigeria against Cameroon in 2000 and Libya against Ghana in 1982—were on penalties, while Tunisia lost to Ghana in 1965.
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North Africa vs West Africa Rivalry
*This is the ninth AFCON final between teams from West and North Africa. In the previous eight meetings, West African teams have triumphed four times and North African teams four times.
In past finals between teams from West and North Africa, West African teams triumphed in 1965 with Ghana defeating Tunisia, Nigeria over Algeria in 1980, Ghana against Libya on penalties in 1982, and Senegal against Egypt on penalties in 2021.
North African teams have triumphed over West African teams in AFCON finals in 1990 when Algeria defeated Nigeria, in 2006 when Egypt defeated Côte d’Ivoire on penalties, in 2010 when Egypt beat Ghana, and in 2019 when Algeria defeated Senegal.
When West and North African teams have met in AFCON finals, five matches have been decided in open play and three on penalties—Ghana and Senegal defeating Libya and Egypt in 1982 and 2021 respectively, and Egypt defeating Côte d’Ivoire on penalties in 2006.
This is the fifth time a West African team has faced a North African host in the final. On two occasions, the West African team won—Ghana over Tunisia in 1965 and Ghana over Libya in 1982. The other two finals saw the North African hosts triumph: Algeria over Nigeria in 1990 and Egypt over Côte d’Ivoire on penalties in 2006.
Senegal, featuring in their fourth final, will face a North African team in the final for the third time, having played Algeria in 2019 and Egypt in 2021. They lost in 2019 and won in 2021. This is Senegal’s third final in the last four AFCONS, but the first time they will face the host nation in the final.
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Senegal Summary: Champions in 2021; runners up in 2002 and 2019.
Morocco Summary: Champions in 1976; runners up in 2004.
SOURCE: CAF.
