BAFANA BAFANA LEAP STRAIGHT TO THE SEMI FINALS

Written by: Nompumelelo Mncube

South Africa have advanced into the final four of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations after they defeated Cape Verde 2-1 on penalties , following a 0-0 draw after extra time at the Charles Konan Banny Stadium in Yamoussoukro on Saturday night.

Bafana Bafana qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations semi-finals for the first time since the year 2000.Both teams had chances to find the back of the net throughout an evenly-contested 120 minutes, but goalkeepers Ronwen Williams and Vozinha each made some critical saves to keep the score line blank and send the game to a penalty shootout.

South Africa had better games in the Afcon compared to this specific  game, a lot of scoring chances created by Bafana Bafana from the beginning of the game but they failed to score. Ronwen Williams then firmly established himself as the hero of the day, turning away four of the Blue Sharks’ penalties to see his side advance into the semifinals. This makes him the first goalkeeper in AFCON history to save FOUR spot-kicks in a penalty shoutout.

The Pressure gets worse the more they advance to other stages and the next force the South African team will face is one of strongest teams left in the tournament.

Bafana Bafana will next face Nigeria in the first semifinal, set for Stade de la Paix in Bouake on Wednesday 7 February.