Nwabali recently reacted to Ronwen’s Golden Glove Win. Nigeria’s star goalie, Stanley Nwabali, spoke up after missing out on the “best keeper” award at the Africa Cup of Nations. South Africa’s captain, Ronwen Williams, took home the honour instead.
The Bafana Bafana goalie was the star-stopper at the 2023 African Cup of Nations! He shut out the competition with a record-breaking five clean sheets, helping his team reach the final whistle without conceding a single goal. This incredible feat even surpassed the previous record set by Andre Arendse back in 1996. Williams’s amazing performance earned him the Golden Glove award, solidifying his position as the tournament’s top goalkeeper.
Even though Nwabali had a lot of shutouts (four, to be exact!), Ronwen wasn’t just sitting pretty—he helped his team win the bronze medal! Remember that time he blocked a whopping four penalties in the quarterfinals against Equatorial Guinea? He did it again, saving two more penalties in the third-place game against DR Congo. Speaking to the media after the Super Eagles’ 2-1 loss to hosts Ivory Coast in the final on Sunday, Nwabali gave credit to the Mamelodi Sundowns keeper.
“Ronwen Williams is a good goalkeeper, to be honest. Like, it’s not a loss to me with him winning [the goalkeeper of the tournament award]. He deserves it,” he said.
“To be honest, he is a very good goalkeeper. Competing with this kind of guy and getting a chance to win the goalkeeper of the tournament, he deserves it. I wish him well, and I give him credit.”
While Nwabali had some amazing saves and kept his team in many games, Williams managed to shut out attackers more often. Still, Nwabali showed good sportsmanship, congratulating Williams and saying he was proud of his performance. Both keepers had the crowd cheering throughout the tournament!
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