AFCON: Why I couldn’t save penalties against Nigeria – South Africa goalkeeper, Ronwen Williams

Ronwen Williams, the goalkeeper for South Africa, explained why he could not save any penalties in his team’s 2023 Africa Cup of Nations semifinal matchup against the Super Eagles of Nigeria earlier this month.

Williams emerged victorious in a shootout in the AFCON quarterfinal match between Bafana Bafana and Cape Verde.

But in the semifinal matchup with Nigeria, the Mamelodi Sundowns goalkeeper could not save any of the spot shots he was presented with.

The Super Eagles advanced to the championship game, where they were defeated 2-1 by Ivory Coast after beating South Africa 4-2 in a shootout.

Williams has recently disclosed that he attempted but was unsuccessful in getting inside the thoughts of some of the Super Eagles spot-kick takers a few weeks after the AFCON competition concluded.

“Obviously, it is either you are going one of three sides, either down the middle or left or right. Now, they don’t want us to talk to the players anymore. I try to push the limits, so I go up to them and tell them where they are going so that at least I have cut out one side.

“They started studying me as well; you know, four out of five penalties went down the middle, so now I need to come up with better ideas,” the 32-year-old told CBS Sports Golazo.

During the AFCON 2023 competition, Williams was awarded the Golden Glove Award.

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