TIZI OUZOU, Algeria – Zambia’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations campaign began with disappointment on Friday night as Algeria recovered from Fashion Sakala’s second-half equaliser to beat the Chipolopolo 3-1 in Tizi Ouzou. The result leaves Zambia without a point after the opening round of Group I, while Algeria move to the top of the […]

TIZI OUZOU, Algeria – Zambia’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations campaign began with disappointment on Friday night as Algeria recovered from Fashion Sakala’s second-half equaliser to beat the Chipolopolo 3-1 in Tizi Ouzou.

The result leaves Zambia without a point after the opening round of Group I, while Algeria move to the top of the group on goal difference. Togo also opened their campaign with a 1-0 victory over Burundi, leaving both Algeria and Togo on three points.

For Zambia, however, the scoreline does not tell the whole story.

There was a difficult opening, a period of recovery after the break and, briefly, a moment when the Chipolopolo appeared to have shifted the momentum of the match.

Then Algeria responded.

Algeria strike almost immediately

Zambia’s problems began just two minutes into the match.

Jaouen Hadjam put Algeria ahead after being released by Mohamed Amoura, giving the hosts the perfect start in front of a packed crowd at the Hocine Aït Ahmed Stadium.

The early goal allowed Algeria to settle into the match and control possession.

Zambia struggled to establish itself in midfield as the hosts dictated the tempo, with Ibrahim Maza among the Algerian players influencing the game.

The pressure could have produced a second goal before the break, but Zambia survived and went into half-time trailing 1-0.

Sakala changes the mood

The second half brought a different Zambia.

Interim coach George Lwandamina introduced David Simukonda for Patson Daka at the break, and Zambia began to look more threatening.

Then came the moment that briefly changed the match.

In the 57th minute, Simukonda supplied the assist and captain Fashion Sakala produced a superb individual effort, beating defenders inside the box before finishing to make it 1-1.

For a side playing away against one of Africa’s established football nations, it was an important response.

Zambia had gone from struggling to stay in the game to being level.

But the equaliser did not last long enough to turn the match in Zambia’s favour.

Algeria respond again

Ten minutes after Sakala’s goal, Algeria regained the lead.

Ibrahim Maza finished from inside the box after Mohamed Amoura created the opportunity, restoring Algeria’s advantage in the 67th minute.

The hosts then delivered the decisive blow seven minutes later.

Substitute Anis Hadj Moussa, introduced in the 71st minute, scored in the 74th to make it 3-1. Maza was involved in the build-up, with the goal coming after Zambia had failed to deal with the Algerian attack.

Zambia continued looking for another way back, with Sakala coming close in stoppage time, but Algeria held on for the three points.

What went wrong for Zambia?

Lwandamina’s post-match assessment focused on mistakes rather than a lack of effort.

Speaking after the match, the interim coach said the players fought until the end but acknowledged that Zambia made mistakes which Algeria punished.

He also pointed to injuries that forced changes he had not planned to make.

“It was a tough match and the boys played well,” Lwandamina said, according to FAZ Media. “Few mistakes, of course, and we were punished. Injuries also affected us.”

That assessment is significant because Zambia had managed to recover from the early setback and equalise.

The problem was what happened after the equaliser.

Algeria needed only 10 minutes to restore their lead and another seven minutes to add a third.

That sequence turned what had briefly become an open contest into a two-goal Algerian victory.

Sakala’s goal provides one of the positives

For Zambia, Sakala’s performance provided one of the brighter moments of the night.

The captain’s goal was not simply a finish from a created opportunity. He carried the ball into the area, took on defenders and created the opening himself before finishing.

It was also his response after Algeria had controlled much of the opening half.

The challenge for Zambia now is to turn that individual spark into a more consistent attacking threat across the remaining matches.

Lwandamina: home games will be crucial

The defeat leaves Zambia with five qualifying matches still to play.

And Lwandamina knows where the immediate pressure lies.

“Definitely, we need to win our home games if we are to qualify,” he said after the Algeria defeat, while describing the current squad as young and still developing.

That makes Tuesday’s meeting with Togo particularly important in the early shape of Group I.

Togo also have three points after beating Burundi 1-0 in Lomé, meaning Zambia return home facing another team that already has points on the board.

Zambia’s road to AFCON 2027

The 2027 AFCON finals will be staged across Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, and the qualifying campaign is being played on a home-and-away basis.

Each team in Zambia’s group has six qualifying matches.

The general qualification format provides for the top two teams in each group to advance, subject to the special arrangement applying to groups containing the tournament’s host nations.

For Zambia, therefore, one defeat does not settle the qualification campaign.

But it does mean the Chipolopolo cannot afford to allow the opening loss to become a pattern.

The immediate opportunity comes at home.

Togo now stand between Zambia and a response

Zambia face Togo on Tuesday, September 29, at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola.

Togo arrive with three points after their 1-0 win over Burundi, while Zambia return home empty-handed from Algeria.

The match therefore becomes Zambia’s first opportunity to put points on the board and begin rebuilding the campaign.

Lwandamina has already acknowledged that home victories will be central to Zambia’s qualification effort.

For the Chipolopolo, the question is no longer how they started in Algeria.

It is how they respond in Ndola.

Zambian Eye will follow the campaign beyond the result — looking at the performances, the decisions, the numbers and what each match means for Zambia’s route to AFCON 2027.

Group I after Matchday 1

Team P Pts GD Algeria 1 3 +2 Togo 1 3 +1 Burundi 1 0 -1 Zambia 1 0 -2