TEN MAN ZAMBIA DENIES TANZANIA HISTORIC VICTORY: DAKA RESCUES DRAW IN DRAMATIC AFCON CLASH

John Mbabala

@John Mbabala

6:11 AM • January 22, 2024

Share:

facebook logo
facebook logo
twitter logo
whatsapp logo
article image

Image Credits:

Ten-man Zambia snatched a dramatic 1-1 draw against Tanzania in the Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday, denying the Taifa Stars their first ever win in the tournament's history. Patson Daka headed home an 88th-minute equalizer to cancel out Simon Msuva's first-half strike, as Zambia showed incredible resilience to fight back even after skipper Rodrick Kabwe's controversial red card just before halftime. Tanzania stormed out of the blocks, taking the lead in the 11th minute when Msuva capitalized on a defensive lapse, rifling a shot past goalkeeper Lawrence Mulenga into the top corner. The red card to Kabwe for a second yellow card, adjudged somewhat questionable by Beninese referee Djingo Louis Houngnandande, seemed to hand Tanzania the upper hand. However, Zambia, inspired by coach Avram Grant's late substitutions, Clatous Chota Chama and Kennedy Musonda, refused to surrender. Musonda's header towards goal was deflected for a corner in the 85rd minute, and from the resulting corner, Chama's whipped delivery found Daka unmarked, who met the ball with a powerful header to send the Zambian bench into raptures. The draw leaves Zambia and DR Congo level on two points in Group F, while Morocco leads the group with four points. Tanzania remain bottom with one point, needing a win in their final match against Congo to keep their slim hopes of qualification alive. Zambia face off against Morocco in a winner-takes-all clash on January 24th, with the winner securing a place in the knockout stages. Tanzania, meanwhile, take on Congo in a do-or-die battle for their first AFCON win, with the result potentially affecting the qualification chances of the other two teams in the group. With all four teams still in contention, the final group stage matches in Group F promise to be a thrilling conclusion to the battle for supremacy.

Loading...