AFCON 2025: How I stopped Salah, Marmoush from the spot — Nwabali

Super Eagles goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali has revealed how he successfully saved penalty kicks from Egyptian stars Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush during Nigeria’s win over Egypt in the AFCON 2025 third-place playoff on Saturday night.

Nigeria edged the Pharaohs 4-2 on penalties after a goalless draw in regulation time, with Nwabali emerging as the hero of the shootout as both Salah and Marmoush failed to score from the spot.

Speaking after the match, the Chippa United captain said his preparation did not involve watching penalty shootout clips of the Egyptian players. Instead, he relied on his familiarity with their overall style of play from club football.

“I do watch them, but not the same way I watch their penalties. I watch them play for their clubs,” Nwabali said.

He praised Salah’s quality, describing the Liverpool forward as one of the best players not only in Africa but in world football.

Nwabali added that saving the penalties was a personal goal and one of the defining moments of his career.

“I think this is going to be my biggest moment to save these guys’ penalties. It’s just my target in this penalty shootout because saving Mohamed Salah’s penalty gives me a big boost. I feel like it really helped me out,” he said.

The goalkeeper’s impressive performance earned him the Man of the Match award and capped a strong tournament for the Super Eagles.

Nwabali conceded just four goals during the competition, kept four clean sheets, and did not allow any goal throughout the knockout stages, finishing the tournament on a high note for Nigeria.

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