Bafana Bafana can hold their heads high after walking away with the bronze medal at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Côte d’Ivoire.
They beat DR Congo 6-5 on penalties in the tournament third-place play-off on Saturday night.
Captain and goalkeeper Ronwen Williams once again led from the front as he saved two penalties during the tense penalty shootout. He saved the final kick from Meschak Elia during sudden death to win the match for the South Africans.
The South African senior men’s team captain has been reluctant to take credit for his heroics during the tournament but will accept that his contribution was crucial.
The two sides created a number of opportunities during the match and with a bit of luck in front of goal, the match could have been wrapped up inside 90 minutes. The game finished at 0-0 and went straight to penalties. And after the two sides could not break the deadlock during regulation time, it was left up to Williams to once again step up to the plate and deliver.
Williams kept his fifth clean sheet in a single AFCON and in the process broke former goalkeeper Andre Arendse’s record.
Bafana also clinched the Fair Play Team award for the tournament, while Ronwen Williams was awarded with the Best Goalkeeper Accolade.
Not only a bronze medal
coming home, but a Fair Play Award and GoalKeeper of Tournament awarded to our Captain Ronwen Williams. See you all soon
#TotalEnergiesAFCON2023 #AFCON2023 #BafanaPride pic.twitter.com/SeNP4DIm2e
— Bafana Bafana (@BafanaBafana) February 11, 2024
South Africans have been expressing their pride in the team, who achieved their best result at AFCON in 24 years.
Absolute proud moment for Bafana to ascend the Afcon stage for the first time in 24 years, receiving bronze medals from a fellow South African under whose leadership the best Afcon has been delivered. We will never forget pic.twitter.com/Zesuw1MQcT
— Nkareng Matshe (@Nkareng) February 11, 2024
What a time to be South African
Bafana Bafana- AFCON Bronze Medalists
Bafana Bafana- Fair Play Award
Ronwen Williams- Golden Glove
Wednesday morning the pride of the nation will be back on home soil
— Xoli Zondo (MBA) (@XoliswaZondo) February 12, 2024
We remember what people said about him after the Brazil game, we remember what they said when he became #Bafana’s number one, and when he became their captain…
Ronwen Williams always backed himself, and look at him now. Right now, the continent’s best.
pic.twitter.com/gPxtA4jX90
— Joe Crann (@YesWeCrann) February 11, 2024
