OWN CORRESPONDENT, Vosloorus | Sunday 8.00pm.
ATLETICO Madrid midfielder Quinton Fortune converted a penalty to give South Africa a 1-0 victory over Togo on Sunday and a place in the second phase of the Olympic Games qualifiers.
South Africa advanced 3-2 on aggregate following a 2-2 draw in Lome two weeks ago and will play Cameroon, Ghana and Guinea in a mini-league from October to March. The group winners in a competition restricted to players born on or after January 1 1977 progress to the 2000 Olympic tournament in the Australian cities of Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra and Melbourne.
Fortune sent goalkeeper Kossi Agassa the wrong way in the 41st minute at the Vosloorus Stadium east of Johannesburg after he had been pulled down just inside the area.
South Africa gradually took control of a match watched by a capacity crowd and should have increased their lead during a purple patch midway through the second half. Nkosinathi Nhleko was foiled by Agassa, Benni McCarthy struck the side netting and Nhleko saw his header rebound off the crossbar as the Togo goalmouth came under siege.
The highly-rated Togolese brothers Mohamed and Al-Sherif Coubageat made no impression against a solid South African defence and goalkeeper Emille Baron was never threatened.