What Stanley Nwabali told Ronwen Williams ahead of AFCON

Bafana Bafana captain and number one goalkeeper Ronwen Williams in the buildup presser to tonight’s game against the Super Eagles has shared how they had developed a bond with his Nigerian counterpart and Chippa United’s number one goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali.

Williams has an interesting story to tell about Nwabali.

READ: PSL continues to get more praise at the AFCON through Bafana Bafana's exploits

"Ya, I'm happy for him and I had a chat with him when we played against each other in Port Elizabeth and it's so weird that he told me that I inspire him and the way that he's playing now, I'm just happy that I can inspire a fellow professional,” Williams said.

“So, tomorrow [Wednesday evening], we'll share the stage together and we'll just go out there and continue doing what we've been doing. Try to be the best goalkeepers that we can be. He's been amazing this season but tomorrow, hopefully, he can concede so that we can go to the final."

Williams and Nwabali have a combined number of 18 clean sheets in the PSL this season.

The Gqeberha-born player is counting 24 clean sheets in all the matches he’s played this season for both club and country to Nwabali’s 11.

After saving four penalties in the quarterfinal game against Cape Verde, to help Bafana advance to the last four, winning 2-1 in the penalty kicks, Williams dominated the headlines not only in Africa but globally.

Asked in the presser how he’s handling this attention and if he likes it, the Mamelodi Sundowns goalkeeper said it’s a team effort.

"Not at all, I just do it for my team. I'm a team player and it was just for me to give back to the team for the hard work that they've done throughout the 120-plus minutes. The desire they had to run, to keep fighting, was tough. Guys were cramping but they kept fighting so it was my time to step up,” Williams added.

“I would have loved for the game to end in 90 minutes so that the other players can get the credit but it wasn't to be. I'm just glad I did my job and that we are in the semifinals but I'm always a calm person and I prefer the other players to get the recognition, especially the work that they do to run for 130 minutes, almost. It's not easy and it shows the desire and the fight we have as a country."

In a tournament where statistics and rankings have had little meaning, as the big guns were knocked out by the so-called minnows, from the group stages, and during the knockouts phase.

Williams is not bothered by Nigeria’s dominance over Bafana Bafana, as they herd to their fourth meeting at the AFCON, with the Super Eagles having won all the previous encounters.