AFCON 2027 qualifiers: George Lwandamina blames costly mistakes for Zambia’s defeat to Algeria

Zambia coach George Lwandamina has attributed the Chipolopolo’s 3-1 defeat to Algeria to individual mistakes and injuries in their opening 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match.

Zambia recovered from an early setback to draw level through captain Fashion Sakala, but second-half goals from Ibrahim Maza and Anis Hadj Moussa condemned the visitors to defeat at the Hocine Aït Ahmed Stadium on Friday.

Algeria made the perfect start when Jaouen Hadjam put the hosts ahead after just two minutes, but Zambia refused to collapse and eventually restored parity in the 57th minute.

Lwandamina praised his players for competing until the final whistle despite playing away from home in front of a vocal Algerian crowd.

“It was a tough match and the boys played well. Away from home, it wasn’t easy for them, but they fought to the bitter end,” Lwandamina said, as quoted by FAZ Media.

The Zambia coach admitted, however, that errors proved costly as Algeria took advantage of openings presented to them.

“Few mistakes, of course, and we were punished. Injuries also affected us. We had to make changes which we wouldn’t have made, and that cost us the game,” he said.

Zambia turn attention to crucial home clash

Despite the disappointing start, Lwandamina remains confident that the young Chipolopolo squad can recover and mount a qualifying challenge.

With Zambia returning home to face Togo on Tuesday, September 29, the coach has identified home form as crucial to their hopes of reaching the tournament.

“Definitely, we need to win our home games if we are to qualify. Togo won’t have it easy,” he warned.

Togo will arrive with confidence after beginning their campaign with a 1-0 victory over Burundi.

Lwandamina also believes Zambia’s youthful squad will benefit from greater experience as the qualifying campaign progresses.

“This is a young team and they are coping very well. We can actually change the tables. The boys are fighting very hard and, with a little bit of experience in the team, I’m sure we’ll be able to bring them together,” he said.

The coach also acknowledged Algeria’s depth, pointing to the large pool of players available to the North African side.

“Algeria enjoyed their game. They played well.”

“Algeria has a new team, mind you, Algeria is one of the big countries in the world, so the population is very big and you have more options of players out there. You can even make 10 teams here in Algeria,” said the former ZESCO United coach.

Gamondi rues missed chances in Tanzania defeat

Elsewhere, Tanzania coach Miguel Gamondi was left frustrated after Taifa Stars began their Group L campaign with a 2-0 home defeat to Guinea-Bissau.

Franculino Dju opened the scoring in the 33rd minute before Mama Balde doubled the visitors’ advantage 13 minutes after half-time.

Gamondi felt Tanzania created enough opportunities to change the outcome but failed to convert them.

“Our only problem is putting the ball in the net… We need more players in the attacking positions,” said Gamondi.

The Argentine coach highlighted Simon Msuva’s missed opportunity as a potential turning point.

“If we had scored from Simon Msuva’s opportunity, the dynamic would have shifted, and the result might well have been different…”

Gamondi remains hopeful of improvement once injured players Clement Mzize and Dickson Job return to the squad.

He also praised Guinea-Bissau’s performance and singled out Everton forward Beto as a major threat throughout the contest.

Tanzania will now turn their attention to Madagascar, who also suffered defeat on Friday after Nigeria secured a 2-1 victory in their opening Group fixture.