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Nwabali Deflects Hero Status Onto Nigeria Team-mates –

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Nwabali Deflects Hero Status Onto Nigeria Team-mates -

Nigeria’s penalty shootout hero Stanley Nwabali was quick to deflect personal praise onto his teammates after steering the Super Eagles to reach the AFCON final. 

Nwabali saved two crucial spotkicks and earned the Man of the Match award as Nigeria edged South Africa 4-2 on penalties following a 1-1 draw in Bouake on Wednesday night.

Despite earning rave reviews for his shootout excellence, the humble keeper highlighted Nigeria’s team ethic.

“It has been a good team performance throughout this tournament. I really appreciate the management and coaches,” said Nwabali.

The Chippa United stopper praised head coach Jose Peseiro in particular. Nwabali was delighted when Peseiro visited him in South Africa prior to AFCON, calling it a huge motivational factor.

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“When the coach informed me he was coming to visit, for me it was one of the biggest things. A coach to come visit was a motivation. When he said he was coming I was really pleased,” Nwabali remarked.

This humility and modesty has endeared Nwabali to Nigerian fans during a fairytale tournament.

His penalty heroics against South Africa will be remembered for generations, etching his name into Nigerian folklore.

Yet for Nwabali, it is all about the team. As Nigeria prepare for the final against Cote d”Ivoire or DR Congo, their unwavering spirit could prove the difference.

Nwabali embodies this spirit, deflecting praise and driving standards higher. “These guys have really guided me a lot throughout this tournament, and I feel so happy,” he said.

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-CAF

Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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AFCON

Libya’s AFCON dreams go up in flames!

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The hopes of Libya securing a 2025 Africa Cup of Nations ticket seem to have gone up in smoke.  This is the sequel to the 2-1 defeat that Rwanda inflicted on the Benin Republic on Tuesday evening.

With the result, Libya’s position is further cemented at the bottom of the table. Nigeria, even with an outstanding match, still leads with seven points.

They are followed by Benin Republic who have six points. Rwanda followed with five points.

The star men were  Innocent Nshuti and Djihad Bizimana  who scored in the space of two minutes as Rwanda came from behind to defeat Benin 2-1 at Amahoro Stadium on Tuesday, October 15.

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AFCON

Rwanda breaks 12-year jinx in victory over Benin Republic

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FILE PHOTO: Rwanda players celebrate in the dressing room after beating Lesotho 1-0 on Tuesday in Durban, South Africa, to go top of Group C in the ongoing World Cup 2026 qualifiers-courtesy.

Rwanda’s defeat of Benin Republic is not just their first win in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying series, the victory terminates a 12-year winless streak against the Cheetah of Benin.

It is also a renewal of their hopes of qualifying for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. But they still have two more games to play.

The German made two changes from the side that started against Benin last week as Samuel Gueulette and Emmanuel Imanishimwe came in for Kevin Muhire and Claude Niyomugabo respectively.

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AFCON

Libya vs Nigeria: CAF lifts the burden off Nigeria

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The press release on Tuesday by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) may have lifted a burden off Nigeria as the match with Libya is considered postponed rather than the Super Eagles refusing to play.

The continental body remarked that the matter would be referred to the competent CAF bodies.

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