Ibrahim Maza and Anis Hadj Moussa scored second-half goals as the Desert Foxes recovered after the Chipolopolo had equalised to give new coach Brahim Hamdani victory in his first match in charge.
Algeria made a flying start against Zambia when Jaouen Hadjam opened the scoring after only two minutes, but Zambia recovered from the early setback and eventually drew level in the 57th minute through captain Fashion Sakala.
Lwandamina said Zambia fought until the final whistle in a difficult away fixture played before a vociferous home crowd.
‘Zambia made a few mistakes’
“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 as quoted by FAZ Media.
The coach acknowledged that Zambia made a few mistakes which Algeria capitalised on, while injuries forced changes that disrupted his 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, believes the young Chipolopolo side can recover from the setback, stressing the importance of collecting maximum points in home matches.
“Definitely, we need to win our home games if we are to qualify. Togo won’t have it easy,” he warned, while adding that the team’s youthful squad is developing well and can improve with greater experience.
“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,” offered Lwandamina.
On Algeria’s depth, Lwandamina said: “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,” said the former ZESCO United coach.
Zambia will have an opportunity to make things right when they return home to host Togo in matchday two on Tuesday, September 29th. Togo kicked off their campaign with a 1-0 victory over Burundi.
Gamondi expresses optimism
Meanwhile, Tanzania coach Miguel Gamondi stated that he is satisfied with the team's performance despite the 2-0 defeat against Guinea-Bissau, noting that they created sufficient chances.
Franculino Dju scored the opener for the visitors in the 33rd minute before Mama Balde added the second in the 58th minute to hand Taifa Stars their first defeat in Group L.
“Our only problem is putting the ball in the net... We need more players in the attacking positions,” said a frustrated Gamondi.
Regarding the conversion of chances, Gamondi said: “If we had scored from Simon Msuva’s opportunity, the dynamic would have shifted, and the result might well have been different...”
Gamondi expressed optimism that the squad would improve further once injured players - specifically Clement Mzize and Dickson Job - return to action.
He commended Guinea-Bissau, singling out their star player Beto of Everton, as a constant thorn in the side of his defence.
Tanzania will next face Madagascar, who lost 2-1 against Nigeria in another group fixture on Friday.
