As he leads by example, Bafana Bafana skipper Ronwen Williams propels South Africa to the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations semifinals. It took the luck of penalties to separate South Africa and Cape Verde in the Afcon quarterfinal on Saturday night, despite both teams’ repeated tries in regulation and extra time.
In the end, Ronwen Williams proved to be South Africa’s hero, helping Bafana win 2-1 on penalties through four saves during the shootout. Late in normal time, the Mamelodi Sundowns goalkeeper produced a vital stop to deny Benchimol, which meant that extra time was played and Bafana ultimately prevailed.
After winning the competition in 1996, South Africa has advanced to the semi-finals of the greatest football event in Africa four times.
After Williams’ valiant actions, Bafana Bafana has solidified their status as legitimate contenders to win the title. The team has been under pressure to re-establish themselves as an unwavering and unbreakable power in Africa.
Williams has now tied goalkeeper Andre Arendse of South Africa, who won the 1996 Afcon and recorded four clean sheets at home. Williams’ run, though, is more spectacular because he maintained a string of spotless records.
In the penalty shootout, the 32-year-old was the clear winner as he saved four penalties to ensure South Africa’s progression to the semi-finals.
After a few spectacular performances, Cape Verde was largely considered the tournament’s big underdog, but they were unable to maintain their fairytale run against South Africa.
Although they had moments of strong play during the game, they performed horribly in the penalty shootout, as only one of their attempts was able to defeat Williams.
Nigeria, the three-time African champions, will now face South Africa. Nigeria is confident after defeating Angola in their quarterfinal match.
(Goal)
