Former Nigeria striker Odion Ighalo has called on the Super Eagles to respond positively to their semi-final disappointment by defeating Egypt in the third-place match at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
Nigeria were denied a place in the final after suffering a painful penalty shootout defeat to hosts Morocco, bringing an end to their hopes of competing for the title at the tournament.
Speaking in an interview, Ighalo encouraged the team to shift focus to the bronze medal encounter, drawing from his own experience at the 2019 edition.
“This team has a chance to compete for the bronze medal. I was there in 2019 and I felt sad against Algeria in the semi-finals, but that’s the reality,” he said as quoted by allnigeriasoccer.
The former Super Eagles forward, who scored Nigeria’s decisive goal against Tunisia to secure third place at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, stressed that Egypt would pose a serious challenge.
“Egypt will strive to regain its position and achieve a positive result, so I hope Nigeria will do its best in that match to achieve victory and return with a positive result,” he added.
Ighalo further expressed confidence in the team’s motivation to deliver a strong performance, noting the importance of ending the tournament on a positive note.
He continued, “I think Nigeria will perform well in that match and will strive to win because they have nothing to satisfy their fans in Nigeria. They will not qualify for the World Cup and will not play in the final, so this is the only opportunity to regain their status.”
