SOUTH Africa picked up from a tentative start to beat Lesotho 4-1 in a Cosafa Cup Group A under-20 soccer match at Orlando Stadium in Johannesburg on Thursday.
Lesotho took the fight to the South Africans early on and the locals had to defend mightily to avoid conceding a goal early on.
The South African defence buckled under pressure and Motlatsi Shele scored for Lesotho.
The second half belonged to South Africa and they broke level in the 55th minute when Lesotho defender Shaka Mafa scored an own goal. The locals went into the lead when Dillon Sheppard finished off a neat pass by Emmanuel Ngobese in the 70th minute. Ngobese scored a goal of his own in the 75th minute when he made it 3-1 off a pass from Jabu Pule. Striker Benedict Vilikazi set the seal on the game when he slammed home in the 87th minute.