'They looked scared taking penalty against me' - Nwabali makes bold claim about Bafana Bafana players 

Super Eagles and Chippa United goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali has fired shots at Bafana Bafana players, claiming they looked scared during their penalty shootout defeat to Nigeria at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations. 

Nwabali was instrumental in the Super Eagles' victory, denying spot-kicks from Teboho Mokoena and Evidence Makgopa in the semifinal that ended 1-1 after 120 minutes. 

This win propelled Nigeria to the final, where they were defeated by the host nation, Ivory Coast.

Going into the encounter, Bafana Bafana goalkeeper Ronwen Williams had been lauded for saving four penalties against Cape Verde to help South Africa reach the last four. 

However, Nwabali expressed confidence that Nigeria would prevail if the match went to penalties.

In an exclusive interview with FARPost, Nwabali attributed Nigeria's success to his coaches' belief in his penalty-saving abilities whilst also elaborating on his reputation as a penalty specialist.

"When we went to penalty shootouts against South Africa, my coaches said Nigeria were going to win because they know me," said Nwabali.

"People didn't know me. Only a few teams in South Africa knew that when you go to penalty shootouts against Stanley, it's gone. 

"You're finished; just forget about the game. You must give me the man of the match because I will save a lot.

"A lot of Bafana Bafana guys didn't know me. But maybe they might have seen in the video analysis or asked questions back in South Africa.

"If you look at the eyes of the Bafana Bafana players, they looked scared. If you watched the game and you look at their eyes when taking a penalty against me, they looked scared.

"So, when you're not confident enough to stand, I know you're going to fumble in the penalty. I was not surprised by Mokoena's miss, and I was not surprised by Makgopa's miss.

"So, these teams like Polokwane, Sekhukhune, Stellenbosch, they know that if you go to penalties with me, it's finished.

"I'm not praising myself, I always want to keep quiet because I know what I can do."

The 27-year-old former Enyimba gloves man also acknowledged Mamelodi Sundowns' Ronwen Williams who etched his name in the history books by keeping out four penalties against Cape Verde. 

However, while lauding the 32-year-old for his penalty-saving abilities, Nwabali refrained from direct comparisons.

Nwabali registered four clean sheets at the 2023 AFCON, narrowly falling short of the tournament's Golden Glove to South Africa's Ronwen Williams who kept five clean sheets.

Ejim Kaycee

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