Zambia held by Burundi in 1-1 draw in 2027 AFCON qualifiers

Zambia and Burundi shared the spoils following a 1-1 draw in their Matchday Three encounter in Group I of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers on Friday.

Both teams headed into the contest determined to secure maximum points and strengthen their positions in the group, but neither could find a breakthrough during a tightly contested first half.

The two sides went into the interval goalless, with the contest remaining evenly balanced as they searched for an opening goal.

However, the encounter gathered momentum after the restart, with Zambia eventually breaking the deadlock in the 65th minute through Edward Chilufya.

The forward found the back of the net to hand the visitors a valuable advantage and put them in a promising position to secure their second victory of the qualifying campaign.

Burundi, however, refused to give up and continued pushing for an equaliser as they sought to avoid defeat on home soil.

Their persistence paid off in the 82nd minute when J. Girumugisha struck to restore parity, rescuing a point for the hosts and denying Zambia all three points.

Despite late efforts from both sides, neither team managed to find another goal as the encounter ended in a 1-1 stalemate.

The result leaves Zambia with four points from their opening three matches, while Burundi move to two points in Group I as both nations continue their pursuit of qualification for the 2027 AFCON tournament.

The two sides will have little time to reflect on the result, with another meeting scheduled for Tuesday, November 17, when they renew their rivalry in the Matchday Four fixture.