By: Nana Kwame Bediako
The Bafana Bafana of South Africa took on DR Congo on Saturday, February 10, in the Africa Cup of Nations third-place play-off, with some heroics from goalkeeper Ronwen Williams, who saved two vital spot kicks to salvage a victory for his country.
The match was forced to extra time and was later decided on penalties after 90 minutes of action at the Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny. The two teams gave themselves some fight, as neither was willing to let go of the glory of claiming an AFCON bronze medal.
The penalty shootout saw some incredible heroics from goalkeeper Ronwen Williams once again, as he brought back memories of his impressive performance against Cape Verde in the quarterfinal shootout. Williams managed to save South Africa a medal when all seemed to be slipping away.
DR Congo’s Chancel Mbemba missed the crucial penalty kick which earned the Bafana Bafana bronze.
Ronwen Williams effort to deny Chancel Mbemba and DR Congo forced the shoot-out into sudden death as pressure suddenly mounted on DR Congo, with South Africa building on their momentum with another good save from goalkeeper Ronwen Williams to secure the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations bronze medal for South Africa.