Hey there! Have you heard about the recent Africa Cup of Nations match between Zambia and Tanzania? It was a thrilling encounter that saw both teams leave the pitch with a point.
Tanzania took the lead early on, thanks to a goal by Simon Msuva. Zambia, however, refused to go down without a fight and equalized in the dying minutes of the game through Patson Daka.
But that’s not all. Earlier on Sunday, Morocco and the Democratic Republic of Congo played each other and drew 1-1.
This means that all four teams in the group still have a chance to qualify for the knockout stage. Morocco currently leads the group with four points, followed by DR Congo and Zambia with two points each, and Tanzania with one point.
It’s worth noting that Tanzania was coached by caretaker Hemed Suleiman after their previous coach, Adel Amrouche, was suspended and then fired by the Tanzanian Football Federation.
Amrouche was banned for eight matches by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) after he claimed in a TV interview that Moroccan officials were influencing the appointment of match officials and kick-off times.
Both Tanzania and Zambia made some changes to their lineups after disappointing debuts four days ago against Morocco, who are the shock 2022 World Cup semi-finalists.
Tanzania lost 3-0 to Morocco after being reduced to 10 men, while Zambia managed a 1-1 draw against DR Congo.
Zambia, who were the favorites to win the match against Tanzania, had a dismal record in the Africa Cup of Nations, having failed to win in their last eight matches.
Tanzania, on the other hand, had only managed one draw and six losses from their previous three appearances in the tournament.
The match was not without its controversies. Zambia’s captain, Roderick Kabwe, was sent off just before half-time after being yellow-carded a second time for elbowing Tanzania’s captain, Mbwana Samatta.
Kabwe protested furiously and had to be escorted off the pitch. In the aftermath of the sending-off, the Zambian coach, Avram Grant, was also yellow-carded by the referee.
Despite being down to 10 men, Zambia never gave up and continued to press for an equalizer.
And they got what they wanted when Patson Daka scored a powerful near-post header from a corner kick, leaving Tanzania’s goalkeeper with no chance.
So, there you have it – an exciting match that ended in a draw and left the group wide open going into the final games.