South African goalkeeper Ronwen Williams recently shared insights into his challenges during the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) semifinal against Nigeria. Despite his heroics in a shootout win against Cape Verde in the quarterfinals, the Mamelodi Sundowns goalkeeper couldn’t stop any penalties from Nigeria during the semifinal clash.
The Super Eagles secured a 4-2 victory in the shootout, advancing to the final where they ultimately lost 2-1 to Ivory Coast. Reflecting on his performance, Williams disclosed that he attempted to psychologically unsettle the Nigerian spot-kick takers but was unsuccessful.
In an interview with CBS Sports Golazo, Williams revealed, “Obviously, it is either you are going one of three sides, it’s 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 try to 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.”
Williams, 32, received the Golden Glove Award at the AFCON 2023 tournament, recognizing his outstanding goalkeeping prowess throughout the competition.
