Williams Saves Four Penalties to Send Bafana to AFCON Semi-finals: South Africa goalkeeper Ronwen Williams played a key role in their victory over Cape Verde, making four saves in the penalty shootout.
After a goalless draw in regular time and extra time, South Africa emerged victorious with a 2-1 penalty shootout win. This victory enabled them to reach the semi-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations, their first match in the semi-finals since 2000.
The upcoming semi-final will pit South Africa against Nigeria on Wednesday at 19:00 South African time. This is a huge achievement for the South African national team, known as Bafana Bafana, and fans can expect an exciting match as they continue their journey in the tournament.
Bafana Bafana XI: Williams (GK, C), Mudau, Kekana, Mvala, Modiba, Sithole, Mokoena, Tau, Zwane, Morena, Makgopa.
Williams Saves Four Penalties to Send Bafana to AFCON Semi-finals
The first half of the game featured the expected tactical battle between coaches Hugo Broos and Bubista. It played out like a game of chess, with both teams having moments of dominance but lacking the composure and quality to convert those chances into open chances.
The match created various emotions in Yamoussokro, where the local support was strengthened by the support of the Blues Sharks fans. This added a huge amount of motivation to the West African team, creating a strong and electric atmosphere in the stadium.
Until the hour mark, South Africa had many chances to score despite Cape Verde showing good passing. Bafana’s strong defense saw them score three goals. The second half showed signs of fatigue, a situation that led to showing inefficiency. A change was made, and Cape Verde almost scored in stoppage time, but a save from captain Ronwen Williams sent the game into extra time at 0-0.
Vozinha made two impressive saves to keep the game goalless from Grant Kekana and Evidence Makgopa and that was as close as it got in half an hour of added time.
The game went to penalty kicks, with Williams saving four of Cape Verde’s shots and sending South Africa into an unusual celebration.
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