South Africa eased into the 2019 CAF Under-23 Africa of Nations (Afcon) third round after defeating Angola 3-0 in Johannesburg on Tuesday night.
David Notoane’s charges were hoping to secure another win over Young Palancas Negras having defeated the visitors 3-1 in the first-leg in Angola’s capital city, Luanda, last week Friday.
The former Santos striker made two changes to the team that faced Young Palancas Negras last week with Keanu Cupido and Jamie Webber making their starts for the national under-23 side.
It took only 10 minutes for Webber to make his mark as the SuperSport United central midfielder handed the hosts an early lead.
The 21-year-old hit the back of the net with a piledriver which beat Angola goalkeeper Carlos Miguel Mendes Peixoto hands down to make it 1-0 to South Africa.
Portugal based forward Luther Singh, who was influential for South Africa in the first-leg encounter, continued to torment the Angolan defence.
The 2017 Caf U20 AFCON Golden Boot winner was denied by FC Porto shot-stopper Peixoto following a good move by the hosts.
Mamelodi Sundowns speedster Phakamani Mahlambi was causing havoc with his pace as he looked to net against Young Palancas Negras.
However, Angola were able to contain the hosts until Zambian match referee Audrick Nkole blew the half-time whistle, but Notoane would have been pleased with the 1-0 lead going into the dressing rooms.
Notoane’s charges were leading 4-1 on aggregate and they looked set to advance to the final stage of the qualification which will take place in June this year.
The visitors hardly fashioned any meaningful attack with the South African defence looking solid in the second half with Richards Bay FC defender Sandile Mthethwa looking to ensure that the hosts kept a clean sheet.
Notoane introduced Kamohelo Mahlatsi, who is a striker by trade, as the home side searched for another goal.
The SuperSport attacker made an immediate impact as he grabbed an assist which was met by his club team-mate Teboho Mokoena to make it 2-0 to South Africa in the 80th minute.
The momentum was with the hosts in the closing stages of the encounter as Singh got the goal he had been looking for when he scored with an angled strike deep into stoppage time to seal South Africa’s 3-0 victory over Angola on the night.
The result saw South Africa advance into the third round where they will face Zimbabwe, while Angola bowed out of the competition after losing 6-1 on aggregate.
