A second-half long-range strike by Orlando Pirates midfielder Sipho Mbule gave the Bafana Bafana a 1-0 win over Ghana in a friendly match on Tuesday.
The match at the Dobsonville Stadium in Soweto served as a preparatory game for the 1996 African champions ahead of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
The Ghana team, made up of players from the Ghana Premier League, also used the game to prepare for qualifiers of the upcoming Championship of African Nations (CHAN).
It was a cagey encounter for the two sides as it turned physical at some point in the game.
After a goalless first half, Hugo Broos rung the changes in order to give an opportunity to his fringe players.
Just after 10 minutes in the second half, Mbule dispossessed the ball from Heart of Lions midfielder Else Dogli and took a long drive towards goal.
Caught unawares, goalkeeper Lawrence Osei, who also plays for Heart of Lions, failed to stop the shot from entering his goal.
Attempts to equalise proved futile despite the Black Galaxies coming close on one occasion, the ball hitting the base of the goalpost.
“It was a very good performance from my boys,” Ghana coach Kassim Mingle Ocansey said after the game.
“We had just three weeks in camp, yet they put up a strong display, and I’m very happy with them. This is a new team we are building, it was hard luck, we deserved to equalize. Overall, I am very satisfied with the performance.”
Bafana Bafana will on Wednesday travel to Morocco for the AFCON, where they will play in Group B against Angola, Egypt and neighbours Zimbabwe.
