Tanzania’s aspirations for a first Africa Cup of Nations victory in 44 years were thwarted as 10-man Zambia secured a late 1-1 draw in Group F in San Pedro on Sunday.
Simon Msuva gave Tanzania an early lead in the 11th minute, but Zambia, despite captain Roderick Kabwe receiving a red card before half-time, managed to equalize through Patson Daka in the 88th minute.
In another match on Sunday, Morocco and the Democratic Republic of Congo played to a 1-1 draw, leaving all four teams in the group with a chance to qualify for the knockout stage.
Morocco leads the group with four points, followed by DR Congo and Zambia with two points each, and Tanzania with one point. The final group matches are scheduled for Wednesday in the Ivory Coast.
Tanzania was led by caretaker coach Hemed Suleiman after Adel Amrouche was suspended by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and subsequently dismissed by the Tanzanian Football Federation. CAF had banned the Algerian coach for eight matches following comments he made in a TV interview.
Both Tanzania and Zambia made three changes to their lineups after disappointing performances in their group debut matches against Morocco and DR Congo, respectively.
Tanzania, with a record of one draw and six losses in three previous African Cup of Nations appearances, took an early lead as Simon Msuva scored after a swift counter-attack.
Zambia faced further challenges when captain Roderick Kabwe was sent off with a second yellow card just before half-time. Despite being down to 10 men, Zambia managed to mount pressure, and Patson Daka’s powerful header from a corner secured the equalizer.
The draw leaves Zambia winless in eight consecutive Cup of Nations matches since their triumph in the 2012 final, while Tanzania faces an uphill battle to qualify for the knockout stage in a tough group.
Reported By AFP
