Katlego Mphela scored in the 42nd minute Wednesday to give South Africa a 1-0 friendly win over Ghana at Johannesburg's Soccer City.
Mophela converted latched onto a pass behind the defense by Steven Pienaar and easily put his shot past Ghana goalkeeper Richard Kingson.
South Africa coach Pitso Mosimane was happy with the performance in his first game since replacing Carlos Alberto Parreira but said there was still room for improvement.
''It was a scrappy second half, and we only took one of four chances we had in the first half,'' Mosimane said. ''But it was good for so early in our preparations.''
South Africa, which hosted this year's World Cup but went out in the first round despite beating France, had much of the possession in the first half. Mophela had Kingson scrambling as early as the third minute.
A second shot by Mophela cannoned off Kingson's face in the 14th minute, leaving his eye watering for much of the rest of the half.
Ghana's raids were infrequent and snuffed out by South African captain Aaron Mokoena and defender Morgan Gould. After the break, South Africa goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune was called on to make two saves.
''We only found balance in the second half,'' said Ghana captain Asamoah Gyan, who was one of the players substituted. ''But South Africa played very well in the first half and deserved to win.''
Both sides made a rash of substitutions in the second half, as many players scrambled to make late-night flights back to their clubs in Europe. The teams agreed on seven changes each.
