AFCON: Akor Adams celebrates Nigeria’s achievement in Morocco

Nigerian forward Akor Adams has expressed his joy regarding what the Super Eagles achieved at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco.

​The Super Eagles clinched their ninth AFCON bronze medal in Casablanca by defeating the Pharaohs of Egypt 4–2 in a penalty shootout following a goalless 90 minutes.

Speaking to the press after the match, Akor—who was competing in his first major tournament for Nigeria—expressed satisfaction with the team’s performance.

“I’m proud of myself, I’m proud of the team, I’m proud of everything we’ve achieved in three weeks. I don’t want to talk about all that we had to go through to get to this point but for me, for my first major tournament, I’m proud, I’m grateful I would say.”

The 25-year-old, who watched from the sidelines as the three-time African champions lost on penalties to hosts Morocco in the semi-finals, noted that the squad was confident heading into the third-place shootout.

“Actually, we were smiling, there was no pressure. We knew we could have buried the game in normal time but going into the penalties, like they say, once beaten twice shy, we know we’re not going to lose, we’re very sure.”

Nigeria, securing their ninth bronze medal in AFCON history, scored 14 goals and conceded only four throughout the tournament. They maintained two clean sheets, beating Tanzania 2–1, defeating Tunisia 3–2, and overcoming Uganda 3–1 in the group stages. They then mauled Mozambique 4–0 in the Round of 16 and silenced Algeria 2–0 in the quarterfinals before their narrow semi-final exit.

​This shootout marks the 48th in AFCON history and the third of the 2025 tournament, following a quarterfinal clash and Nigeria’s semi-final against Morocco.

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