LWANDAMINA BLAMES INJURIES, MISTAKES FOR ALGERIA LOSS
Chipolopolo coach George Lwandamina has attributed Zambia’s 3-1 defeat to Algeria in their opening 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier to individual mistakes and injuries.
Zambia suffered defeat at the Hocine Aït Ahmed Stadium in a difficult away encounter played in front of a vocal home crowd.
Despite the result, Lwandamina praised his players for fighting until the final whistle and said the team competed well under challenging circumstances.
“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.
The coach admitted that Zambia made mistakes which Algeria punished, while injuries forced him to make changes that disrupted his initial plans.
“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.
Lwandamina, however, remains focused on the remaining qualifying matches and believes Zambia must make home advantage count if they are to stay in contention for a place at the 2027 AFCON finals.
“Definitely, we need to win our home games if we are to qualify. Togo won’t have it easy,” he said.
The coach also backed Zambia’s youthful squad to improve as the players gain more experience together.
“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.”
Lwandamina also acknowledged the depth available to Algeria, noting the size of the country’s football talent pool.
“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.”
The defeat leaves Zambia needing to regroup quickly as attention turns to their next Group I qualifier against Togo.
The Chipolopolo will be looking to respond on home soil and collect maximum points in their next assignment.
