By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
@GalloImages.
South Africa beat Zambia 3-1 in an international friendly at Nelson Mandela Bay stadium, to boost their confidence heading into the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), which get under way in just over five weeks’ time in Morocco.
Goals from Oswin Appollis, Mohau Nkota and Sphephelo Sithole saw Bafana Bafana secure an emphatic win.
Bafana Bafana broke the deadlock in the 43rd minute after Sipho Mbule outmuscled the Zambian midfielders before finding Appollis who made it 1-0.
Mbule proved a menace for the visitors as he set up yet another assist, this time for Mohau Nkota in the 62nd minute with a beautiful curler from outside the box to double the lead.
In the 68th minute, South Africa were 3-0 up when Sithole made no mistake with an easy header from close range.
Bafana Bafana saw out the remainder of the game in relative comfort, though they were caught out on a counter attack in injury time as Zambia pulled a goal back through substitute Joseph Sabobo.
Meanwhile midfield maestro Teboho Mokoena has etched his name into Bafana Bafana history, reaching the coveted milestone of 50 international caps.
Mokoena has scored nine international goals, the first coming in the 6-0 demolition of Seychelles at FNB Stadium in October 2018 during AFCON qualifiers. Among his proudest achievements is playing a pivotal role in Bafana Bafana’ s qualification for the FIFA 2026 World Cup, as well as helping the team secure a memorable third-place finish at AFCON 2023.