Egypt vs Nigeria: I need to help the team — Stanley Nwabali plays down heroics in bronze medal win

Super Eagles goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali has refused to claim glory for himself, despite saving two penalties to help Nigeria beat Egypt and win bronze at the AFCON, insisting that he was only doing his job. 

Still dejected from the semi-final disappointment against Morocco and Senegal, respectively, Nigeria and Egypt were forced to lock horns for third position. 

Both teams seemed disinterested for most of the contest, with neither side ever truly shifting gears, although Nigeria had spells of dominance, owed to their superior individual quality. 

It was good that CAF did not saddle both sides, or the viewers, with an extra thirty minutes of extra time, as they moved straight to penalties, during which Nwabali shone. 

He saved the Pharaoh’s first two attempts, taken by Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush, respectively. Although Fisayo Dele-Bashiru missed his shot, Nigeria’s first, Nwabali's heroics meant that the Super Eagles emerged victorious, as they scored the next four spotkicks. 

The former Enyimba man has now saved penalties in his last four shootouts for the Super Eagles. His heroics against Egypt earned him CAF’s Man of the Match Award; however, in his post-match press conference, he played down talks of heroism. 

“I feel like this is time for me to really help them more because it's like a team game,” he told reporters. “Having a goalkeeper, that's really gonna help you. Is a boost for the team, so I didn't see it as anything. I feel like I'm really, I really need to help the team at this moment.”