Quwan Plaatjies scored his first international goal while Siviwe Nkwali and Luthando Vena also featured during South Africa U-23’s friendly victory over Algeria U-23’s.

Stellenbosch FC was well represented on the international stage on Thursday when South Africa’s U-23 team took on North African giants Algeria in a friendly encounter in Bloemfontein.

Siviwe Nkwali – who was formerly part of the Amajita side that won the 2025 CAF Africa Cup of Nations and featured at the FIFA U-20 World Cup – and Luthando Vena were both handed starting berths, while Quwan Plaatjies featured off the bench.

Plaatjies made an immediate impact on the match when he scored within four minutes of his introduction, drawing South Africa level after Algeria had earlier taken a 1-0 lead.

Fellow substitute Faiz Abrahams, who is on loan from Stellenbosch at Kaizer Chiefs this season, also added his name to the scoresheet as Raymond Mdaka’s side completed an impressive 3-1 come-from-behind win.

The quartet will be hoping to feature again on Sunday when the two nation’s meet again in their second friendly at Dr. Petrus Molemela Stadium.