Highlights: South Africa eliminated Cape Verde on Saturday February 2 in Yamoussoukro (0-0, 2 shots on goal to 1), in the quarter-finals of the African Cup of Nations. Ronwen Williams kept a clean sheet for the 90 minutes of regulation, then during extra time. Williams saved four shots ongoal. The Man of the Match trophy was awarded to the South African goalkeeper, even if he preferred to highlight the team. Hlompho Kekana suggested with humor, but above all a lot of respect, a new name to fill the position as Minister of Finance of his country.

ANALYSIS

CAN 2024: how South African Ronwen Williams disgusted Cape Verde on penalties

South Africa eliminated Cape Verde on Saturday February 2 in Yamoussoukro (0-0, 2 shots on goal to 1), in the quarter-finals of the African Cup of Nations, thanks in particular to a masterful performance by Ronwen Williams. The Bafana Bafana goalkeeper saved four shots on goal. And this is not due to luck or chance.

South African goalkeeper Ronwen Williams fending off the shot on goal hit by Cape Verde player Bebe on February 3, 2024 in the CAN quarter-finals in Yamoussoukro. AP - Themba Hadebe

By: Nicolas Bamba Follow

From our special correspondent in Abidjan

Will Enoch Godongwana leave the South African government in favor of a footballer? Let's be realistic: it's unlikely. But in Yamoussoukro, after a long undecided evening, Hlompho Kekana, the midfielder of the South African football team, suggested with humor, but above all a lot of respect, a new name to fill the position as Minister of Finance of his country.

While Bafana Bafana had just qualified for the semi-finals of CAN

2024

, Kekana congratulated the hero of the match won against Cape Verde, Ronwen Williams: “

He is a world-class goalkeeper. I think he should become Minister of Finance, he would save the South African economy!

Read alsoCAN 2024: South Africa thanks its goalkeeper, eliminates Cape Verde and advances to the semi-final

An unprecedented performance at such a level

The Man of the Match trophy was awarded to the South African goalkeeper, even if he preferred to highlight the team. But how can we nominate another player, as the captain has shone on the pitch? Ronwen Williams kept a clean sheet for the 90 minutes of regulation, then during extra time. And then it was show time during the penalty shootout.

Bebe, Willy Semedo, Laros Duarte… The first three Cape Verdean shooters came up against the South African goalkeeper. They all shot left and all failed. Bryan Teixeira vaguely kept hope alive by finally scoring for the Blue Sharks, on their fourth attempt, after the South African shooters had just suffered two failures. But Ronwen Williams was in a state of grace on Saturday night. And Patrick Andrade, the fifth and last Cape Verdean shooter, saw the Bafana Bafana wall push his attempt back to the right and thus send South Africa into the last four.

Four shots on goal saved out of five, without the help of an upright and without an off-target shot, it's an exceptional performance. In major football competitions (World Cup, Euro, Copa America, etc.), this is even unprecedented. In any case, statisticians have not found any trace of a performance as exceptional as that of Williams.

“You can save one shot on goal, but four… It’s not luck”

South Africa coach Hugo Broos

refuses to talk about luck. “

We had a very good goalkeeper today. If you save four shots on goal, it's no longer luck. You can stop one, but four... It's not luck. He didn't just do that, he also saved us two minutes before the end of the first 90 minutes, when he was alone against the Cape Verdean player

,” the technician told the press after the whistle. final.

Ronwen Williams, the hero of the evening, was keen to associate the Bafana Bafana staff with this success. The Mamelodi Sundowns goalkeeper said that “

all the credit goes to the analysts

”. “

They prepared me. They recovered so many videos. We studied the different clubs of Cape Verdean players. I had worked hard too, we had rehearsed in training. But it's not me who should be congratulated, it's the analysts. And the goalkeeper coach too. They gave me a lot of clues

,” he explained.

Stopping just one goal is too basic. 😅🇿🇦#TotalEnergiesAFCON2023 pic.twitter.com/WNPKSRyB27

— CAF - FR (@caf_online_FR) February 3, 2024

“

My phone is full of penalty videos. It wasn't easy to find images of certain players, certain teams all around the world. Big up to the analysts! Thanks for putting this together. They did my job. At least half. Because I pretty much knew where each player was going to shoot

,” added Williams.

His head coach also praised the “

fantastic work

” of the video analysts. But Hugo Broos pays tribute to his last rampart, who already had an excellent reputation in taking penalties and penalties: “

During penalties, we can say to a goalkeeper: 'He's going to shoot to the right, he's going to shoot to the left', and the opposite happens. It's the penalties. (…) Ronwen had the information. But in the end, it's him who decides at the moment.

Nigeria, South Africa's opponent in the semi-final (Wednesday February 7 in Bouaké), knows what to expect if ever a penalty or a new penalty shootout were to occur.

CAN 2024: how South African Ronwen Williams disgusted Cape Verde on penalties

CAN 2024: how South African Ronwen Williams disgusted Cape Verde on penalties

An unprecedented performance at such a level

“You can save one shot on goal, but four… It’s not luck”

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