Lwandamina points to injuries and mistakes in Algeria defeat

Zambia suffered the defeat on Friday night at the Hocine Aït Ahmed Stadium in Tizi Ouzou, with Lwandamina saying the team fought until the final whistle despite playing away from home in front of a large home crowd. “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 said some mistakes made by Zambia were punished by Algeria, while injuries forced him to make changes that affected his plans during the match. “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.

Despite the loss, Lwandamina said Zambia can recover by collecting maximum points in their home matches. He said the next match against Togo will be important and warned that the visitors should not expect an easy game.

“Definitely, we need to win our home games if we are to qualify. Togo won’t have it easy,” Lwandamina said.

Lwandamina also expressed confidence in the young Chipolopolo squad, saying the players are developing well and can improve as they gain more 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,” he said.

The coach also acknowledged the depth available to Algeria, saying the hosts have a large pool of players to choose from. “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,” Lwandamina said.

Chipolopolo will now shift focus to Togo as they return home to prepare for their second Group I fixture, with Zambia seeking to recover from the opening-match defeat.