FLASHBACK: They looked scared - Nwabali recounts penalty heroics against South Africa

Super Eagles shot-stopper, Stanley Nwabali has revealed the secret behind Nigeria's penalty shoot-out win over South Africa in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.

Nwabali was the hero of the team that finished with the silver medal after his heroic saves against Hugo Broos’ men in the semi-finals. The performance earned him the Man of the Match award.

In a chat with FARPost, he stated that he has never doubted his ability.

“When we went to penalty shootouts against South Africa, my coaches said Nigeria were going to win because they know me,” said Nwabali.

“People didn’t know me. Only a few teams in South Africa knew that when you go to penalty shootouts against Stanley, it’s gone.

“You’re finished; just forget about the game. You must give me the man of the match because I will save a lot.

“A lot of Bafana Bafana guys didn’t know me. But maybe they might have seen in the video analysis or asked questions back in South Africa.

“If you look at the eyes of the Bafana Bafana players, they looked scared. If you watched the game and you look at their eyes when taking a penalty against me, they looked scared.

“So, when you’re not confident enough to stand, I know you’re going to fumble in the penalty. I was not surprised by Mokoena’s miss, and I was not surprised by Makgopa’s miss.

“So, these teams like Polokwane, Sekhukhune, Stellenbosch, they know that if you go to penalties with me, it’s finished.

“I’m not praising myself, I always want to keep quiet because I know what I can do.”