Captain Aaron Mokoena scored with a first half header to hand South Africa a morale-boosting 1-0 win away against Zambia in their African Nations Cup qualifier on Sunday. The defender, restored to the captaincy, rose to head home a free kick from Delron Buckley in the 28th minute.
The result was the first home defeat in Lusaka in more than two decades for the Zambians in Nations Cup qualifiers.
World Cup 2010 hosts South Africa, watched by future coach Carlos Alberto Parreira, revived their chances in the qualifiers for the 2008 finals in Ghana after a surprise draw at home in their first qualifier last month.
Mokoena's goal was his first in 58 international appearances and came as a timely lift for South Africa, whose poor run of recent form has seen them slip dramatically in the FIFA rankings.
The visitors missed several other chances for a more convincing victory but also had goalkeeper Rowen Fernandez to thank for securing the points.
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