MALABO — Zambia qualified for the last eight of the Africa Cup of Nations last night when they stunned hosts Equatorial Guinea 1-0 in Malabo.
Captain Chris Katongo picked up a throw-in and drifted inside unchallenged before unleashing a low shot from the edge of the box that flew inside goalkeeper Danilo’s right-hand post in the 67th minute.
Zambia, meanwhile, will travel back to Bata, where they played their first two Group A matches, for their last eight clash with either Angola or Sudan. Zambia finished with seven points and will probably avoid Group B winners Ivory Coast in the next round.
A number of Equatorial Guinea fans looked decidedly glum after their team’s first defeat of the competition but the simple fact is that the team — worst-ranked competitors — booked their place in the quarter-finals with ease and surely any supporter of the National Lightning would have taken note of that before the finals kicked off.
Now they await their opponents in next Saturday’s quarter-final – will it be Ivory Coast, as expected, or can Angola inflict the Elephants’ first Group B defeat when the pair clash this evening?
Libya finished with four points after beating Senegal 2-1. This means Senegal, favourites before the competition, went home without a single win or even a draw in three matches.
