Former Nigeria international, Garba Lawal has described the Super Eagles’ third-place finish at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco as a worthy achievement.
Speaking in an interview with Brila.net, the former midfielder acknowledged that Nigeria went to the tournament with ambitions of lifting the trophy, but clarified that returning home with a medal remains meaningful.
He insisted that podium finishes still count as success in tournament football, even when the ultimate target is not met.
“You Go to Win the Cup, But a Medal Still Matters”
Garba Lawal was a key member of the 1996 Olympic gold medal-winning team.
His Super Eagles class reached the AFCON final in 2002, and he earned 57 caps for the Super Eagles during his international career.
Lawal was clear that while winning AFCON is always the primary objective, finishing second or third should not be dismissed.
“Whether you like it or not, when you go for a tournament, you go for one thing, to win the cup. If you don’t win it and you come second or third, you’ve still achieved something,” Lawal said.
“If you go for a tournament and you want to touch the cup, you have to win the games. If you don’t, at least you come back with a medal.”
“That is something.”
Consistency in Results, Not Failure
The former Super Eagles star also highlighted Nigeria’s recent AFCON record as evidence of consistency rather than decline, pointing to back-to-back podium finishes.
“We finished second the last time and this time we finished third, it’s an achievement,” he said.
“For me, I believe these players know this is not exactly what they wanted, but that’s football for you.”
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Praise for Egypt and the Drama of Penalties
Lawal reserved praise for Egypt, who Nigeria defeated in the third-place playoff, noting that the North Africans pushed the Super Eagles to the limit.
“The Egyptians also wanted to win the third-place match. You could see the way they were playing, very smart,” he said.
“At the end of the day, we won on penalties. Penalty shootouts are anybody’s game; anybody can score or miss.”
“That’s the beauty of penalties.”
Nigeria eventually clinched the bronze medal after prevailing in the shootout, capping their AFCON campaign with a podium finish.
