By Kudakwashe Kutinyo
SOUTH AFRICA has extended their stay in the AFCON tournament which is currently held in Ivory Coast following a dramatic quarter final win against an ambitious side Cape Verde.
Renwad Williams the Bafana Bafana captain and goalkeeper pulled out a shocking display after saving 4 consecutive penalties out of 5 to deny Cape Verde a spot into the semi final.
The quarter final match between South Africa and Cape Verde was expected to produce a couple of goals but however heroic saves from both goalkeepers either side gave a lifeline to their teams resulting to a 0-0 draw in the final whistle of the ordinary 90 minutes.
The extra time saw both teams fail to break through despite getting closer.
Bafana Bafana captain Ronwen Williams who claimed the man of the match in the quarter final expressed that the accolade belongs to everyone in the team for their contribution.
"They played their part and it was my turn to show up. This accolade is not mine alone, it belongs to the staff, the technical team, each and every player this is for them. The journey has been tough but we sealed it on as a team, so I will accept this as on behalf every player in the Bafana Bafana",he said.
Ronwen Williams is also in contention for the tournament's golden glove after having kept 4 clean sheets and playing 5 games.
South Africa who marched into the tournament as underdogs with a team that has more players who ply their trade locally, continue their fairytale journey and will face the Super Eagles in the semi final while the other semi final will see hosts Ivory Coast playing against DR Congo.
South Africa lost 2-0 against Mali in their opening match and went on to crush Namibia 4-0, drawing 0-0 against Tunisia in their final group match qualifying as 2nd best behind Mali in Group E.
The 1996 winners faced the tournament's favourites Morocco in the last 16 a match that was expected to be an easy win for the Morrocans but however South Africa emerged victorious claiming a 2-0 win.
Despite being criticised earlier for selecting more Sundowns players by fans and analysts , the Bafana Bafana squad continue to prove critics wrong by producing quality results in the ongoing tournament.
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