South Africa secured a spot in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) semi-finals after a 2-1 victory over Cape Verde in a penalty shootout following a goalless 120 minutes in their quarter-final clash on Saturday night.
The Bafana Bafana’s progression can be credited to the remarkable performance of Ronwen Wiliams, their goalkeeper and captain, who kept the 1886 AFCON winners in contention during regular time.
Despite the significance of the last semi-final spot, both teams struggled to create meaningful chances in an uninspiring match that only gained intensity in the final moments of normal time. Wiliams made a crucial one-on-one save, deflecting the ball onto the post to force extra time for South Africa in the dying moments of the second half.
In extra time, an inspired South Africa had opportunities to secure victory, but they couldn’t breach the Cape Verde goalkeeper. The match ultimately went to penalties, where Williams saved four out of five Cape Verde penalties.
South Africa’s semi-final entry, their first in 24 years, sets up a showdown with rivals Nigeria on Wednesday, February 7, with the hope of advancing to the final scheduled for the following weekend.
In an earlier encounter, Ivory Coast triumphed 2-1 over Mali after extra time, despite playing the entire second half and extra time with ten men. Mali missed a penalty, but Nene Dorgeles’ 30-yard strike put them on the brink of victory before Simon Adingra’s prodded finish in the 90th minute.
Oumar Diakite’s touch into the net from Seko Fofana’s long-range shot secured Ivory Coast’s first semi-final appearance since 2015 when they won the trophy. They are set to face DR Congo for a chance to reach the final.
