Niger defeated Zambia for the first time to end Avram Grant’s unbeaten run in competitive matches with the Chipolopolo Boys on Wednesday in their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
The Chipolopolo boys suffered a 2-1 defeat, conceding the first goal just six minutes into the match when Amadou Moutari found himself unmarked in the penalty box and gave his side the lead.
Boubacar Goumey extended the Niger’s lead 28 minutes later with a tap-in following defense woes in the Zambian half.
Lameck Banda had to dribble past three defenders before whipping in a cross to Clatous Chama, who struck with his first touch before Patson Daka pounced on the rebound to make it 2-1 in the 50th minute.
Speaking after the match, Grant felt his team did not play their usual game and a draw would have been a better result.
“They [Niger] fought very well; congratulations to them,” he said. “We didn’t play our normal game, even though I think we deserved a draw but there is no deserving in football; they scored two goals and we scored one.’
He added, “It’s the first time the team is losing under me, so the most important thing is to recover and when we recover we will have a good team.”
‘The referee also helped them’- Grant
Grant also took a dig at the referee for denying his team what he believes were fouls against Niger.
“There were so many fouls that the referee didn’t give us, including in the box, in the last ten minutes,” Grant said.
“The referee also helped them. Normally, I don’t speak about referees but this time, let’s say it was not a good day. I will be very gentle but we need to look at ourselves; we lost the game and we are looking forward to the next game,” said Grant.
The match was officiated by Abdulrazg Ahmed from Libya as the center referee.
READ MORE: Grant loses first competitive match with Chipolopolo as Niger record historic win
Zambia’s next game in the World Cup qualifiers will be away to Morocco in June next year.
The Atlas Lions, who defeated Tanzania 2-0, are now at the top of Group E with 3 points just like Zambia, Tanzania, and Niger, while Congo Brazzaville is the only side with no points.
