Zambia beat Togo 2-0 in their second 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier, with Albert Kangwanda and Eliah Mandanji scoring in either half. Kangwanda opened the scoring just two minutes into the match with a powerful finish inside the box after controlling Fashion Sakala’s headed assist.
The match was later interrupted for about 20 minutes by a power outage, but Zambia held onto their 1-0 lead at halftime.
Togo came out strongly after the break and created a few chances, but Zambia remained dangerous and eventually sealed the victory in added time. Mandanji tapped home Mathews Banda’s well-delivered cross to make it 2-0.
The win lifts Zambia to second in Group I on three points, behind leaders Algeria on four, while Togo also have three points. Zambia will host Burundi on November 11, 2026, while Togo will travel to face Algeria.
Speaking after the match, Togo coach Patrice Neveu claimed that Zambia did not win fairly.
“Its a veey disappointing result but my team played very well,” Neveu said.
He continued: “Yes we lost but its not the result is not a reflection of what the game was. There are certain things that influenced the game. My players, the Togolese people were not respected today.”
When asked to clarify the “certain things” he believed influenced the game, Neveu urged everyone to analyze what happened.
“You also saw what happened. I wont say anything. Go and analyze the game and you will see. The Togolese people and my players were disrespected today,” he emphasized.
