Ronwen Williams: South Africa Goalkeeper Saves Four Penalties to Deny Cape Verde Semi Final Berth

Ronwen Williams: South Africa Goalkeeper Saves Four Penalties to Deny Cape Verde Semi Final Berth

Lukman Mumuni
updated at February 13, 2024 at 11:54 AM
In this article:
Ronwen Williams logo
R. Williams
Mamelodi Sundowns logoGSouth Africa logo
South Africa logo
South Africa
South Africa
27
CAF Africa Cup of Nations logo
CAF AFCON
Africa
Cape Verde logo
Cape Verde
Cape Verde
24
Teboho Mokoena logo
T. Mokoena
Mamelodi Sundowns logoMSouth Africa logo
Mothobi Mvala logo
M. Mvala
Mamelodi Sundowns logoMSouth Africa logo
  • Ronwen Williams starred as South Africa progressed at AFCON
  • The Sundowns goalie made four saves in the penalty shootouts
  • South Africa defeated Cape Verde to set up a clash with Nigeria

South Africa goalkeeper Ronwen Williams singlehandedly sent the Bafana Bafana to the semi-final of the Africa Cup of Nations after saving four penalties against Cape Verde in the shootouts.

The Mamelodi Sundowns goalkeeper had a good game, denying the Blue Sharks several times in regulation time.

Williams produced one of the best displays in penalty shootout history after going in the right direction for five of the spot kicks while saving four.

Ronwen Williams, South Africa, Cape Verde, AFCON
Ronwen Williams saves four penalties as South Africa beat Cape Verde. Credit: @garyalsmith
Source: Twitter

The Bafana Bafana missed two from the spot but strikes from Teboho Mokoena and Mothobi Mvala ensured the 1996 champions progressed to the semis.

South Africa will face Nigeria in the semi-final in Bouake in midweek.

Williams is known for his penalty-saving skills and the Rainbow Nation were very confident the game had to be decided from the spot.

It is the first time South Africa have reached the semi-final of the Africa Cup of Nations since 2000.

Having won the competition only once, South Africa will be hoping to end their 28-year wait for the title in Cote d'Ivoire.

Meanwhile, the host nation will face DR Congo in the other semi-final on Wednesday.

Nigeria beat Angola to set up clash with South Africa

Earlier, Sports Brief reported that Ademola Lookman scored his third goal in two games as Nigeria advanced to the semi-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations on Friday with a 1-0 victory over Angola in the last eight.

Lookman again stole the limelight from Victor Osimhen by following his brace in the 2-0 defeat of Cameroon in the last 16 by breaking the deadlock four minutes before half-time at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium.

The Super Eagles then saw the game out before a crowd of 18,757 in Abidjan, with Osimhen finding the net only for his effort to be disallowed after the VAR ruled him to be offside.

Authors
Lukman Mumuni photo
Lukman Mumuni
Lukman Abdul Mumin is a Sports Journalist based in Accra, Ghana. He has been writing for the past five years. Lukman joined Sports Brief as an Editor for the Local Desk in 2022.