JOHANNESBURG – South Africa secured a convincing 5-0 win over Zimbabwe in an African Cup of Nations Under-23 third round, first-leg qualifying match, at the Orlando Stadium in Johannesburg on Friday evening.
Lyle Foster set up Kobamelo Kodising to open the scoring in the 17th minute, before the former did the build-up work for Luther Singh to double the lead with a power shot in the 35th minute.
Five minutes before halftime, Teboho Mokoena fired home from outside of the 18-yard box to make the score 3-0 at the break.
Singh fired home from range on the hour mark, before Sipho Mbule set up Foster to make the score 5-0.
At the other end of the park, SA goalkeeper Mondli Mpoto had a fairly quiet outing, as the SA midfielders pressed the Zimbabweans into defensive mode for much of the game.
The return leg between the two sides will take place in Harare on Sunday.
SA scored a 6-1 aggregate win over Angola in the previous round, while Zimbabwe saw off Mozambique with an overall score of 2-0 in the home and away matches.
The Under-23 continental showpiece event will be held in Egypt from November 8 to 22.