With Ronwen Williams, South Africa can dream again

If we were to describe Ronwen Williams’ performance against Cape Verde, I think it’s safe to say that we will run out of superlatives or put into words his spectacular showing. 

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We might never see another heroic feat like that in our lifetime. Saving four spot kicks in a penalty shootout to hand Bafana Bafana 2-1 win is stuff of legends.

His exceptional performance will be echo in the annals of African football forever and was worthy of sending South Africa to its first semifinal of the AFCON in 24 years.

The 32-year-old became the first goalkeeper to save four penalties in the history of the Africa Cup of Nations. He has also broken the record of Andre Arendse by keeping four successive clean sheets at the tournament.

The legendary and former Kaizer Chiefs goal minder Brain Baloyi took to social media and called Williams the best penalty saver this country has ever produced. He also waxed lyrical that the Bafana captain is one of the best goalkeeper in world football and who can argue with him after what we’ve just witnessed.

In Williams, Bafana have a saviour, a leader and the safest pair of hands in between the sticks. Bafana might not have been able to take the game to extra-time either had it not been for the Mamelodi Sundowns shot stopper.

The Blue Sharks almost snatched victory on the stroke of full time but Gelson Tavares had his shot spectacularly saved with a one-handed stop by Williams as the ball came off the woodwork to keep Bafana alive at the AFCON.

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I couldn’t help but think about of Argentine ‘keeper Emiliano Martínez who saved his country in similar fashion in the world cup final against France by denying Randal Kolo Mauni from point-blank range to force the game into a nail-biting penalty shootout where he saved two kicks to hand La Albiceleste their first world cup since 1986.

I predicted on my football digest column that Bafana will at least reach the last four of the competition but with Williams in goal, the rainbow nation can dream again of another AFCON title for first time since 1996.