Bafana Bafana captain Ronwen Williams was left amazed by the performance of the team after booking a spot in the last 32 of the FIFA World Cup.
The South Africa captain kept his first ever FIFA World Cup clean sheet in a massive 1-0 win over South Korea in a clash that saw them book a spot in the last 32. Bafana created more goalscoring opportunities than South Korea and managed to at least bury one.
But immediately after scoring the goal, they sat back, with Korea coming at them non-stop, showing their class with former Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-Min also introduced into the game. Despite the attack from all angles from South Korea, Bafana remained calm and managed to keep the clean sheet.
What left many impressed was that South Africa had five players younger than 25 years which also gave hope for the future. Williams also reflected on the performance, admitting he was amazed by the bravery and class they showed at this stage.
“Amazing, I’m lost words, I don’t know there’s a better word than proud, I’m super proud, I’m ecstatic just for what this team has been through, the doubt, the doubters,” Williams told SABC Sport.
“The stress that we’ve gone through, to play at this elite level is not easy to keep a clean-sheet against such quality opposition, to perform the way we did, defend the way we did speaks volumes of the character of this team. We were under siege but we stayed strong.
“The mentality and character in these boys, I mean I’m scared for the future of this country, these boys are 20, 19, 21 years old playing at this level.
“I’m a proud daddy already, so, the experience that they are gaining will only help us as a country. Amazing, I’m just happy, I’m proud to be a leader of this team.”