If the performances of the Super Eagles safest hand, Stanley Nwabili from the group stage of the African Cup of Nations, AFCON to the final is anything to go by, then he is set to pick the Golden Gloves.
The Chippa United Football Club of South Africa goalie just joined the team enroute to the AFCON, claiming the number one spot from Francis Uzoho. He did not only bring confidence and stability to the defence but made great saves in his first game at AFCON.
As if the first match was a fluke, he repeated the same feat against Cote d’ivoire, Guinea Bissau in the second and last group games respectively.
In the round of 16 against Cameroon, he helped the team and in the quarter-final against Angola, Nwabili was up to the task also, despite slightly fit due to the injury sustained against Cameroon. He made great saves again against South Africa in the semi-final.
Incidentally, he kept against another goalkeeper who was also contesting for the award. The South Africa goalie, Williams has been churning out fantastic performances and in the quarter final against Cape Verde, he saved four penalties, the first time in the history of AFCON but the defeat to Nigeria might just give it to Nwabili.
Williams was unable to save one penalty out of the five penalties against him. One during regulation time and four during the shoot-out while his rival, Nwabili kept two out of the five against him.
And from what has happened in the past, including the European and World Cup events, Golden Gloves award are always given to the goalkeeper that played in the final.
Meanwhile, that is not the case with the Golden Boot award, that is, player with the highest goals in the ongoing AFCON in Cote d’Ivoire.
The only Nigerian player that could compete for it is Ademola Lookman with three goals. It is going to be difficult for the Atalanta Football Club of Italy forward to win it except he scores a minimum of two goals in the final against Cote D’Ivoire to tie with Equatorial Guinea’s Emilio Nsue who has five goals already.
Below are the goals scorers thus far in AFCON 2023 from the group stage to the final:
Emilio Nsue Equatorial Guinea 5
Gelson Dala Angola 4
Mohamed Mustafa of Egypt 4
Baghdad Bounedjah Algeria 3
Mabululu Angola 3
Lassine Sinayoko Mali 3
Bertrand Traore Burkina Faso 3
Ademola Lookman Nigeria 3
Mohamed Bayo Guinea 3
