South Africa goalkeeper Ronwen Williams saved four penalties in the post-match shootout against the Cape Verde Islands to carry his country into the last four of the Africa Cup of Nations after a 0-0 draw in their quarterfinal on Saturday.
Mothobi Mvala scored the decisive kick to make it 2-1 on penalties and win South Africa a semifinal place for the first time since 2000 but they were fortunate to get past the smallest nation in the tournament at Charles Konan Banny Stadium.
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South Africa now take on Nigeria in Bouake in their semifinal on Wednesday.
It was a game full of missed opportunities but Cape Verde, who have a population of 600,000 but draw most of their players from a large diaspora in Europe, had most of the chances and were only denied a last-four place by the heroics of Williams.
