South Africa secures a commendable third-place position in the Africa Cup of Nations after an exhilarating victory against DR Congo through a nail-biting penalty shoot-out.

Goalkeeper Ronwen Williams emerged as the star of the show as he made two crucial saves to secure South Africa’s victory in the third-place play-off at the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations. The match took place at the Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny in Abidjan, where South Africa faced DR Congo after both teams suffered defeats in the semi-finals against Nigeria and hosts Ivory Coast respectively.

The encounter proved to be a tense and tightly contested affair, with neither side managing to find the back of the net during the 90 minutes of regular time. As a result, the match went straight to a penalty shoot-out to determine the winner.

South Africa got off to a shaky start in the shoot-out as Teboho Mokoena hit the post with their first penalty, while Samuel Moutoussamy successfully converted for DR Congo. Both teams then scored their next three penalties, with Zakhele Lepasa netting South Africa’s fifth spot kick to keep their hopes alive. However, Chancel Mbemba had the opportunity to seal the victory for DR Congo.

In a moment of brilliance, Williams came to the rescue once again, denying Mbemba’s effort and pushing the shoot-out into sudden death. The pressure mounted on DR Congo as South Africa continued to convert their penalties, and Meschack Elia failed to beat Williams with his shot.

This was not the first time Williams had played the hero role in a penalty shoot-out at the Africa Cup of Nations. In the quarter-finals against Cape Verde, he saved an impressive four penalties to help his team progress.

The defensive nature of the third-place play-off was not entirely unexpected, considering DR Congo had only conceded five goals throughout the tournament, while South Africa had let in just three. South Africa’s victory in the match marks their best finish at the Africa Cup of Nations since 2000, when they last achieved a similar result.

The final of the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations will take place on Sunday, as Nigeria and Ivory Coast face off at the Olympic Stadium of Ebimpe in Abidjan. The winner of that match will be crowned the champion of the tournament.