Super Eagles midfielder, Alex Iwobi, has told the Confederation of African Football, CAF, that he does not agree with the idea of a third-place game at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Even though Nigeria won a penalty shootout against Egypt to finish third at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, Iwobi is unsure about how much the match really matters.
Iwobi was one of the best players at the 2025 AFCON, playing in every match of the tournament in Morocco, except for the game where Nigeria beat Uganda.
Although he provided two assists during six matches, he played a key role in setting up most of the goals scored by the Super Eagles at Afcon 2025.
Iwobi came on as a substitute in the last 25 minutes of the third-place playoff game against Egypt on Saturday and scored the decisive penalty in the shootout, helping Nigeria win the match.
After the game, Iwobi said the match was a big mental test for the Nigerian players, especially since it happened right after their sad loss to Morocco in the semifinals.
“We were surrounded by doubts after not making it to the World Cup. Iwobi told beIN SPORTS.
“We wanted to win gold but ended up finishing third. The match was tough mentally because I don’t think a player can completely forget the pain of losing in the semi-finals.
I also don’t agree with having a third-place game, but in the end, we managed to win it.”
The Super Eagles’ midfielder praised the top stars in the Egyptian team, especially their Premier League strikers Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush.
Their penalty kicks were saved by Nigeria’s Stanley Nwabali.
The Egyptian team had a good game, and we looked at videos of them to prepare for the match. Morocco is a beautiful country, and it has nice stadiums and nice hotels.
“I really liked the welcome I received and went to the city of Marrakech, and I was really amazed by everything I saw there.”
