The race for the 2023 AFCON Golden Glove will go down to the wire as only two participants are eyeing the individual goalkeeper’s top prize.
Interestingly, the two goalies, who have been impressive so far in the tournament, play their club football in SA’s top flight in the DStv Premiership.
In the 2021 edition that was hosted in Cameroon, Senegal goalie Édouard Mendy won the award for his outstanding performances.
Mendy kept five clean sheets out of seven, guiding the Lions of Teranga to the final, which they eventually won. The West African side defeated Egypt 4-2 on penalties after the match had ended 0-0 after 120 minutes.
In the current edition of AFCON, Bafana Bafana skipper Ronwen Williams and Nigeria’s Stanley Nwabali are currently on par on the number of clean sheets they have kept at the tournament. They have four clean sheets each.
Williams and Nwabali also play for Mamelodi Sundowns and Chippa United, respectively, in SA.
RONWEN WILLIAMS AND STANLEY NWABALI BATTLE FOR THE 2023 AFCON GOLDEN GLOVE
To add, Bafana will meet the Super Eagles of Nigeria in the semi-finals. The two rivals will battle it out for a spot in the final on Wednesday, 7 February. The much-anticipated clash will be staged at the Stade de la Paix in Bouaké. Kickoff is at 7pm [SA time].
Williams has played all five matches for the 1996 African champions. He has been leading from the back as the captain of the team.
The 32-year-old has been solid in between the sticks, only conceding two goals. This was in their tournament opener as Bafana suffered a 2-0 defeat against Mali.
In addition, Williams has matched Andre Arendse’s record for the most number of clean sheets [4] in a single AFCON tournament.
Like Williams, Nwabali has also made five appearances for the West African side and has displayed consistent performances.
The shot-stopper has only let in only one goal. This was also in their opener against Equatorial Guinea, as Nigeria slipped and were held to a 1-1 draw.
It will be a close battle to see who will be awarded the trophy for the best goalkeeper of the 2023 AFCON in Ivory Coast.
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