South Africa secures the third-place position in the AFCON by triumphing over DR Congo in a penalty shootout, breaking a 24-year spell without such success in the tournament.
The tightly contested match concluded without any goals in regular time, leading to a nerve-wracking penalty shootout. Bafana Bafana's goalkeeper and captain, Ronwen Williams, emerged as the hero by saving two crucial penalties from DR Congo's captain, Chancel Mbemba, and Meshack Elia, resulting in South Africa's 6-5 victory.
This achievement follows South Africa's semi-final defeat on penalties, making them the first team in the tournament to engage in three consecutive AFCON shootouts.
The victory was celebrated by the Belgian coach, Hugo Broos, 71, who adds a third-place "bronze" to his previous "gold" achieved with Cameroon in 2017. For South Africa, this marks their return to the podium since 2000 when they triumphed over Tunisia in a penalty shootout.
DR Congo had aimed to match their best tournament performance since 1998, while South Africa sought their first title since 1996.