Fresh details have surfaced from Nigeria’s tense AFCON third-place playoff win over Egypt, after Super Eagles midfielder Alex Iwobi revealed the exact words Egyptian goalkeeper Mohamed El-Shenawy told him seconds before his penalty kick.
Nigeria and Egypt met in the third-place match on Saturday, January 17, following Nigeria’s semi-final defeat to hosts Morocco and Egypt’s loss to eventual champions Senegal.
After 90 minutes of cagey, goalless football, the encounter was decided by penalties, with the Super Eagles winning 4–2, before Ademola Lookman sealed the victory.
A video from the shootout later went viral, showing El-Shenawy appearing to psychologically pressure Iwobi before he stepped up, sparking widespread debate online.
Speaking in a post-match team video, Iwobi finally addressed the moment after Lookman asked him:
“What did the keeper say to you bro?”
Iwobi responded:
“He said to me, Iwobi, I know where you’re going to play it. If I save your penalty, you’ll give me your shirt.. I said no problem🤣”
Despite the keeper’s confidence, Iwobi calmly converted his spot kick, pushing Nigeria closer to victory in the shootout.
Moments later, Lookman fired home the decisive penalty, handing Nigeria the bronze medal and ending the AFCON campaign on a positive note.
The revelation has since reignited online reactions, with fans praising Iwobi’s composure and joking that El-Shenawy’s bold talk only added to the drama of one of AFCON’s most talked-about penalty shootouts.
