Sakala's riposte, then the desert cold: Zambia fall 3-1 in Tizi Ouzou as the winless run reaches nine

The brief flicker came in the 57th minute. Fashion Sakala — the captain who had spent the week recalling how Zambia "destroyed" Algeria at Heroes Stadium in his first senior international — found the equaliser that dragged the Hocine Aït Ahmed Stadium to silence and, for ten minutes, made a point in Tizi Ouzou look possible.

Then the new Algeria arrived. Ibrahim Maza restored the lead in the 67th minute and Anis Hadj Moussa sealed it in the 74th, sweeping a left-footed shot into the top corner, to close out a 3-1 win in the opening round of 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying on Friday night.

The evening had begun as badly as it could. Jaouen Hadjam put the hosts in front inside two minutes, and Zambia spent the rest of the first half climbing back into the contest. George Lwandamina sent on Patson Daka at the break, and Sakala's equaliser was the reward — before the two-goal burst settled it. The result extends Zambia's winless run to nine matches and Algeria's unbeaten record in AFCON qualifying, which stretches back to 2018.

For Algeria, the night doubled as an inauguration: a first competitive match under coach Ibrahim Hamdani, who succeeded Vladimir Petkovic this month with Antar Yahia as his assistant, and first place in the group on goal difference after Togo edged Burundi 1-0 in the group's other opener. Zambia sit bottom with zero points — the arithmetic already unkind.

There is no pause to absorb it. Chipolopolo return home to host Togo at the Levy Mwanawasa Stadium on Tuesday, 29 September, in a fixture that has acquired must-win weight after one round. Lwandamina had framed Tizi Ouzou as a chance to "rewrite history"; the rewrite now has to start in Ndola, against the side level on points at the top.

The pre-match brave words will be replayed, fairly or not. Sakala had called Algeria's new-look squad "a wake-up call" and said the target was qualification itself; Gampani Lungu had reminded listeners that "it is 11 versus 11". Eleven against eleven it was — but the better eleven won, and Zambia's road to the 2027 finals in East Africa begins, as so often before, from behind.

Sources: BBC Sport live coverage (25 Sep 2026); ESPN match data (25 Sep 2026); Goal, "Algeria hit hard in the opening of the Hamdani era" (26 Sep 2026); YSscores (25 Sep 2026); FAZ Media pre-match quotes via Flashscore (24–25 Sep 2026).