AFCON: Nwabali Breaks 22-Year-Old Record As Nigeria Beat South Africa

Super Eagles goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali broke a 22-year-old record on Wednesday as he played a pivotal role in Jose Peseiro’s side qualifying for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final after a victory over South Africa in the semi-final clash.

The Chippa United shot-stopper set a new record for the most minutes without conceding a goal by a Nigerian goalkeeper at the competition.

He surpassed former Super Eagles keeper Ike Shorunmu who featured in two AFCON tournaments.

Shorunmu went 450 minutes without conceding a goal across six AFCON matches.

However, by the 47th minute mark against South Africa, Nwabali broke the record that stood for exactly 22 years.

Nwabali now holds the absolute record for the longest clean sheet among Nigerian goalkeepers only as he remained unbeaten for 493 minutes across six games until he was finally beaten from the penalty spot by Teboho Mokoena as the match ended in a 1-1 draw after 120 minutes.

The 27-year-old went on to save two penalties during the shootout as Nigeria defeated the Bafana Bafana 4-2 to book a place with Ivory Coast in the final.