"Why I Couldn't Stop Penalties against Nigeria: Ronwen Williams, South Africa's Goalkeeper, Reflects on AFCON Challenge"

Ronwen Williams, South Africa's Goalkeeper


 South African goalkeeper Ronwen Williams has shed light on his inability to save any penalties during his team's 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) semi-final match against Nigeria's Super Eagles earlier this month.

Despite his heroics in the shootout victory against Cape Verde in the AFCON quarterfinals, where he played a pivotal role for Bafana Bafana, Williams faced challenges in the semifinal clash with Nigeria.

The Mamelodi Sundowns shot-stopper was unable to thwart any of the spot kicks he faced as the Super Eagles emerged victorious with a 4-2 shootout win, advancing to the final where they ultimately fell to Ivory Coast in a close encounter.

Reflecting on the match and his approach to penalty-saving, Williams disclosed that he attempted to psych out some of the Super Eagles' penalty takers, but his tactics did not yield the desired results.

"Obviously, when facing penalties, there are three possibilities – down the middle, left, or right. However, regulations now prohibit us from communicating with players during shootouts. Despite this, I tried to gain an edge by predicting their direction, but they were wise to my strategy," explained the 32-year-old during an interview with CBS Sports Golazo.


Williams, who was awarded the Golden Glove at the AFCON 2023 tournament for his outstanding goalkeeping performances, acknowledged the need to devise new strategies following the scrutiny of his previous penalty-saving patterns.

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