Mzansi drags Ronwen Williams over ‘mistake’ at Club World Cup
Mamelodi Sundowns goalkeeper Ronwen Williams has opened up about the critical mistake that contributed to their narrow 4-3 loss against Borussia Dortmund in their FIFA Club World Cup group stage clash at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati.
The Brazilians had taken an early lead through Lucas Ribeiro Costa in the 11th minute, but the advantage was short-lived.
Just five minutes later, a miscalculated back pass from Williams gifted Dortmund’s Felix Nmecha an equalizer, shifting the momentum of the match.
Speaking after the game, the Bafana Bafana captain reflected on the moment that proved to be a turning point.
“Obviously, we are a team that starts from the back and we take risks,” Williams explained.
“When I got the ball, I saw that Tebza was in position, but he got a call from Marcelo to move. It was just one of those unfortunate situations.”
Despite the costly error, Williams remained composed, choosing not to point fingers and instead focused on collective growth.
“We don’t blame each other, we take it as a team, and we grow from that as a team,” he said.
The match itself was a thrilling seven-goal spectacle, with Sundowns holding their own against the Bundesliga giants.
Dortmund eventually claimed the win thanks to goals from Nmecha, Serhou Guirassy, Jobe Bellingham, and an own goal from Khuliso Mudau.
Williams admitted the error stung, especially at this level of competition where every mistake counts.
“It’s disappointing. That was the key message this week: at this level, mistakes get punished. In the PSL, you can sometimes get away with those, but not here.”
Still, the 33-year-old remained proud of his team’s showing against such a formidable opponent.
“We had great chances in the first half. I’m incredibly proud of the boys, the effort, the desire, the fight. We played our football and stuck to our identity. There are a lot of lessons we can take from this, and we’ll grow from it.”
While the result wasn’t what Sundowns hoped for, Williams emphasized that the gap between African and European teams isn’t as wide as many think.
“Yes, they are physically stronger, but it’s all about mindset. If your mentality is right, you can go toe-to-toe with the best, and that’s exactly what we did.”
With one group match remaining against Fluminense, the South African champions are still in contention for a place in the knockout stages.
nSitting second in Group F with three points, they’ll need a strong performance in their next outing to keep their tournament hopes alive.
