AFCON 2023: Ronwen Williams and Other Goalkeepers Who Saved Four Penalties in Single Game

• Ronwen Williams became the first goalkeeper in the history of AFCON to save four penalties
• The South Africa goalkeeper's heroics saw his side set up a semi-final clash against Nigeria
• Sports Brief looks at the other goalkeepers who have saved four or more penalties in a game

Ronwen Williams is still on the lips of many football fans after his recent heroics for South Africa in the Africa Cup of Nations.

The Mamelodi Sundowns goalkeeper saved four penalties to send Bafana Bafana to their first AFCON semi-final since 2000.

The 1996 champions had played out to a barren draw against Cape Verde in the quarter-finals before the Masandawana custodian came up clutch.

In the process, the 32-year-old became the first player in the history of the AFCON to save four penalties in a single shoot-out.

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Goalkeepers with most penalty saves in single game

In light of the Bafana Bafana captain setting up the AFCON stage with that massive performance, Sports Brief has dug deep into archives to find some of the goalkeepers who have saved four or more penalties in a single shoot-out in history.

1. Denis Onyango - Mamelodi Sundowns

We start with the man whom Williams forced to the bench when he signed for the Brazilians in 2022.

The veteran, Dennis Onyango, is one of the best goalkeepers the continent has ever produced and this was on grand display in the 2021 MTN8 Cup final.

The Ugandan saved five penalties to help his side win their first MTN8 trophy.

2. Mathieu Pelops - Reunion Island

In 2019, Mathieu Pelops saved all five penalties he faced against Mauritius to help the Reunion Islands win the Indian Ocean Island Games, as reported by BBC Sports. The game had ended in a one-all draw in normal time.

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3. Daniel Batz - Saarbrucken

In 2020, Saarbrucken's goalkeeper, Daniel Batz became an unlikely hero after he saved a penalty against Bundesliga side, Fortuna Dusseldorf in normal time during a DFB-Pokal match.

He then stepped up in the shoot-out, saving another four, to send the fourth-tier side to the semi-finals.

Ronwen Williams downplays personal glory

Sports Brief has also reported that Williams has downplayed his history-making night for South Africa, calling for calm ahead of their next games.

The goalkeeper saved four penalties to help Hugo Broos' side reach the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations semi-finals, where they are set to face Nigeria.

Williams will be hoping to go one better and help his country reach the final when they play the Super Eagles in the semi-finals of AFCON 2023.