Nwabali clutch, Ajayi shines – Super Eagles player ratings as Nigeria beat Egypt to AFCON 2025 bronze

The Super Eagles of Nigeria clinched third-place at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations after a penalty shootout victory over Egypt at the Mohamed V Stadium on Saturday, Soccernet.ng reports.

After losing their semifinal fixture against hosts Morocco on Wednesday, Nigeria returned to action in the AFCON 2025 bronze-medal match against Egypt, who also lost to Senegal.

Both teams named formidable lineups, but they rested some of their big guns for the fixture.

Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle started Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman, and Ndidi from the bench, while Egypt coach Hossam Hassan started Omar Marmoush and Mohamed El Shenawy from the bench.

The decision of rest players affected the quality of the football, as both teams could not perform as well as they had done in their previous games in the competition.

The Super Eagles scored two goals, but they were ruled out after VAR reviews. Eventually, the game ended goalless. It proceeded straight into penalties, and that was where Chelle's lads finished it. They scored four of their kicks, while the Pharaohs converted two.

The Super Eagles take bronze. 🇳🇬

Watch the full penalty shootout between Egypt and Nigeria in the #TotalEnergiesAFCON2025 third-place decider. pic.twitter.com/u1qyUlw2W7

— TotalEnergies AFCON 2025 (@CAF_Online) January 17, 2026

In this article, Soccernet.ng rates the performances of the players who played for Nigeria on the night.

Super Eagles Player Ratings Against Egypt

Stanley Nwabali 8.5/10: The Super Eagles star was undoubtedly the best player on the night. He actually did not have a lot to do in normal time, as Egypt managed one goal attempt.

But on different occasions, he had to run out and do the job of a sweeper keeper after the Egyptians played some balls behind.

In the penalty shootout, he was unsung, saving two attempts. The saves were top notch － against Egypt's best players － Marmoush and Salah. Great showing from the Chippa United man.

Semi Ajayi 8/10: Going into the game, there were fears about the Super Eagles' backline due to the absence of Calvin Bassey. However, Ajayi did an awesome job on the night. He hardly put a foot wrong and he was ruthless.

Ajayi showed that Chelle can definitely bank on him.

Igoh Ogbu 7.5/10: Ogbu also put in a solid shift on the night. He partnered well with Ajayi and never let anything get past him. He sure had an outing to be proud of.

Bright Osayi-Samuel 7.3/10: Osayi-Samuel had yet another good outing for Nigeria.

His defending was brilliant, as the Egyptian hardly got any joy on his flank. He was caught out of position a couple of times, but his recovery was just brilliant.

The downside to his performance was his work in Egypt's half. He made some poor decisions in the final third, and he hardly sent in any dangerous ball into the box.

Bruno Onyemaechi 7.3/10: Onyemaechi also had a good outing for the Super Eagles. But that was only at the back. Up front, he didn't affect the game much.

His crosses were disappointing, and the partnership with Moses Simon was just blunt. Perhaps, if he had a better striker to target, he might have scored.

Fisayo Dele-Bashiru 6.9/10: The Lazio man got a rare start for Nigeria today, and he was pretty decent. He was positive, and his passing was decent. Dele-Bashiru also had an impressive work rate, as he was always ready to fall back whenever Nigeria was defending.

However, he failed to create any meaningful opportunity for the Super Eagles.

Raphael Onyedika 7.3/10: Onyedika maintained his place in Nigeria's starting lineup despite his disappointing showing against Morocco last time out.

But this time, he was way better. Onyedika had a firm grip of the game, he never looked like he was struggling to keep up. He dictated the play nicely, and his passing was good. Fine showing from the Club Brugge man!

Samuel Chukwueze 6.3/10: Chukwueze was disappointing today.

While he helped with defensive duties, he failed to deliver on his main job of creating chances and troubling the Egyptians' backline.

He lacked incision, bite, and the killer instinct. It was a largely toothless showing.

Moses Simon 6.3/10: Just like Chukwueze, Simon was disappointing today. He did well with some defensive duties, but he didn't offer anything significant in the attack.

He struggled to beat his markers, and his few balls into the area were poor. The Paris FC man had definitely had better days.

Akor Adams 6.3/10: One thing is sure whenever Akor Adams plays, and that is hard work.

But today, he struggled to do his primary job, which is to score goals. In fairness to him, he didn't get enough service. But he saw a lot of the ball.

Adams had some loose touches in the final third and struggled to connect with his teammates. Perhaps, if he had Victor Osimhen beside him, he would have been better.

Paul Onuachu 6/10: Onuachu had a largely anonymous showing against the Pharaohs. He was inadvertently involved in Nigeria's first goal which was wrongly ruled out. But he did not perform well today.

Alex Iwobi 6.3/10: Iwobi entered the game in the 65th minute, and his introduction freed up the midfield. He played a couple of his line-breaking passes on the night, but the Super Eagles attackers struggled to capitalize.

Ademola Lookman 6.3/10: Lookman entered the game at halftime, and his introduction visibly gave the team a boost in the final third. However, the Atalanta star was soon swallowed by the game.

At times, it seemed like he was even doing too much. There were even occasions when he refused to pass, despite being crowded by Egyptians. It was definitely an average showing.