South Africa 0-0 Mali (2-1 on penalties): Williams leads South Africa to the AFCON semi-finals.
The outstanding goalkeeper, Ronwen Williams, led his country South Africa to the semi-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations, showcasing his brilliance in the penalty shootout against Cape Verde on Saturday.
South Africa beat Cape Verde in a penalty shootout (2-1) after the original and extra time ended in a nil-nil draw, setting up a clash against Nigeria.
Williams saved 4 penalty kicks, leading his team, Bafana Bafana, to the semi-finals of AFCON for the first time since the 2000 edition.
South Africa, the winner of the 1996 Africa Cup of Nations, had Teboho Mokoena and Mothobi Mvala scoring in the penalty shootout, while Zakhele Lepasa and Aubrey Modiba missed their penalties.
On the other hand, Cape Verde managed to score only one successful penalty by Texeria, while Bebe, Willy Semedo, Laros Duarte, and Patrick Andrade all missed their penalties.
With the achievement of Bafana Bafana, the semi-final has been set, South Africa joins Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Ivory Coast, the host nation.
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Cape Verde started the match with a possession-based and well-structured attacking approach, nearly scoring with a close attempt hitting the post. In return, South Africa responded with a strong shot, only to be saved by the goalkeeper.
Cape Verde continued their attempts in the beginning of the second half with an easy cross that was stopped, while the South African team tried to capitalize on a defensive mistake without success.
Willy Semedo sent a powerful shot over the crossbar, and there was a close opportunity for Bafana Bafana, but the ball went astray in front of Cape Verde’s goal.
Mokoena shot a straightforward ball into the hands of the Cape Verde goalkeeper, and Bafana Bafana’s defense cleared a chance led by Bebe through a quick counter from the depths, ending the match in regular and extra time with a draw and going to penalties, which favored South Africa.
“Bafana Bafana” will play the semi-final against the Nigerian “Super Eagles” next Wednesday at the Salam Stadium in Bawaki.
