Nigeria, Egypt set for AFCON bronze-medal showdown

By Joe Apu

Nigeria’s Super Eagles and Egypt’s Pharaohs will contest the bronze-medal match of the 35th Africa Cup of Nations today, with both teams aiming to salvage pride after missing out on the final.

The two African football powerhouses, who share a combined 10 AFCON titles, arrived in Morocco with high expectations but saw their championship hopes end in the semi-finals. Egypt were defeated by Senegal’s Lions of Teranga in Tangier, while Nigeria bowed out after losing on 4-2 penalty shootout in Rabat. Despite the disappointment, the third-place match offers an opportunity for both sides to finish the tournament on a positive note. Egypt Captain Mohamed Salah and Nigeria forward Victor Osimhen are still seeking their first AFCON titles, and a bronze-medal finish would provide some consolation.

Nigeria enters the fixture unbeaten in regulation time, having scored 14 goals in six matches. The Super Eagles have drawn encouragement from supporters and held training sessions in Casablanca on Thursday ahead of their official training at the Raja Oasis on Friday.

The match also carries historical significance. Nigeria and Egypt are the most successful teams in AFCON bronze-medal games, with Nigeria claiming eight third-place finishes and Egypt six. A victory for Nigeria would extend their lead, while an Egyptian win would reduce the margin.

According to NFF media, Nigeria have never lost an AFCON bronze-medal match. Their first third-place finish came in 1976, when they defeated Egypt 3-2 in Addis Ababa. Their most recent bronze medal was secured in 2019, when Odion Ighalo’s early goal earned a 1-0 victory over Tunisia in Cairo.

Today’s encounter will be the 25th senior international meeting between the two teams and their 10th clash at the Africa Cup of Nations. Nigeria have won five of the previous nine AFCON meetings, with two matches ending goalless.

One of their most notable encounters was the 1984 AFCON semi-final in Abidjan, where Nigeria came from two goals down to draw 2-2 before winning 8-7 on penalties. Their latest AFCON meeting occurred in January 2022, when Kelechi Iheanacho scored the decisive goal in a group-stage win for Nigeria in Garoua, Cameroon.

The bronze-medal match will be played at the Stade Mohamed V in Casablanca, with kick-off scheduled for 5 p.m.