South Africans are amazed at Bafana Bafana’s performance on Saturday against Cape Verde in the African Cup of Nations (Afcon) quarterfinals.
Our national football team has not always covered itself in glory. The road to qualifying for this year’s Afcon tournament was characterised by erratic performances. It is not surprising that fans chose to stay away from the team’s matches in recent times.
However, on Saturday night we were treated to a performance that reminded us of the scenes of 1996 when we won the Afcon — a year after the Springboks won the Rugby World Cup. Under the leadership of captain and goalkeeper Ronwen Williams, Bafana Bafana held Cape Verde to a draw before winning the penalty shoot-out.
During the penalty shoot-out, our hopes were carried by one man: the self-effacing Williams. In a tightly contested match, he led Bafana Bafana to a 2-1 victory, his saves a highlight of the tournament being played in Ivory Coast.
We congratulate Bafana Bafana for Saturday’s victory and wish them well in Wednesday’s semifinal clash with Nigeria.
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