Durban - AmaZulu broke their nine-game winless streak as Rally Bwalya struck the only goal of the match when they overcame Stellenbosch FC 1-0 at the King Zwelithini Stadium on Sunday.
Usuthu have now moved into the top eight on the Premiership standings, just four points behind third-placed Kaizer Chiefs.
Bwalya continued his impressive return from injury as he broke the deadlock for the home team in the 31st minute, finishing well after a slick team move.
The Zambian unleashed a ferocious shot and gave Sage Stevens no chance in goal.
AmaZulu coach Folz headed into the encounter still in search of his first win on South African shores and the visit of Stellenbosch handed him the perfect opportunity.
AmaZulu have not lost to Stellenbosch since 2016 and their reinforced squad presented them with the perfect opportunity to end their run without victory.
Folz made several changes to the starting XI that dumped Chiefs out of the MTN8 a week ago, the most notable one being the introduction of Ethan Brooks in place of the injured Gabadinho Mhango.
Visiting Stellenbosch did not appear to be bothered by their underwhelming record against AmaZulu and instead set up in their usual 4-3-3 formation, looking to be on the front foot.
A huge factor in Stellenbosch’s defeats this season has been their leaky defence and it showed again as they conceded after making a bright start.
Romain Folz gets his first win as a coach in South Africa as AmaZulu defeat Stellenbosch courtesy of this wonderful goal from Rally Bwalya ✅ pic.twitter.com/KQkl6LpIic
Coach Steve Barker’s players continued to be dangerous even after going a goal down, registering seven attempts on goal before the halftime interval, three of them troubling AmaZulu goalkeeper Veli Mothwa.
The inconsistent nature of the league season has brought about a tight table. Stellenbosch began the match in 10th place, just three points ahead of Sekhukhune United, who are in the relegation zone.
Barker perhaps understood the importance of going into the World Cup break on a high and as far away from the danger area as possible as he introduced South African Under-23 international Antonio van Wyk in search of an equaliser.
Folz countered the move by introducing the experience of Keagan Buchanan in midfield and later the defensive expertise of Veluyeke Zulu at the back, effectively sealing their tight victory.
In the day’s other games, Chippa United and Richards Bay could not be separated as they played out to an entertaining 3-3 draw, while TS Galaxy could not hold onto a lead against Sekhukhune, with the match ending 1-1.