Ronwen Williams has claimed that Stanley Nwabali sees him as an inspiration as both goalkeepers prepare to man the posts when Nigeria and South Africa take on each other at Stade de la Paix in Bouake in Wednesday’s evening’s 2023 Africa Cup of Nations semi-final.
Williams made headlines after he saved four penalties in the quarter-final shootout victory over Cape Verde while Nwabali has thrilled Nigerian fans with his stable performance since taking over from Francis Uzoho in the tournament.
Both Williams and Nwabali ply their trade in the South African Premier Soccer League (PSL) with Memelodi Sundowns and Chippa United respectively
“I’m happy for him [Nwabali]. 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,” Williams said ahead of Wednesday’s semi-final.
“The way that he’s playing now, I’m just happy that I can inspire someone and it’s a fellow professional so we will share the stage together and will continue doing what we have been doing in trying to be the best goalkeeper that we can be.
“Nwabali has been amazing in this tournament but hopefully he can concede so that we [South Africa] can go into the final.”
Africa and the world has seen the ability of these two.???????? Tomorrow, it would be down to keeping a perfect composure to ensure their individual team comes out on top.
Who would be the better goalie?#Afrosport #TotalEnergiesAFCON2023 #Africanfootball pic.twitter.com/uokmqRQYnr
— AfroSport (@AfroSportTV) February 6, 2024
Williams and Nwabali have kept four clean sheets at AFCON 2023, the most of any team at the tournament.
