Algeria began the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations PAMOJA 2027 qualifiers with a 3-1 victory over Zambia as Morocco also claimed three points, while Egypt were held to a goalless draw by Angola on Friday.
Ibrahim Maza and Anis Hadj Moussa scored second-half goals as Algeria recovered after Zambia had equalised to give new coach Brahim Hamdani victory in his first match in charge.
Morocco beat Gabon 2-0 through goals from Noussair Mazraoui and Soufiane Rahimi, while Egypt were unable to find a breakthrough against Angola. Elsewhere, Mali defeated Cape Verde 3-1, with Nini Dorgeles scoring twice, while Burkina Faso and Benin shared the points in a 1-1 draw.
Algeria made a flying start against Zambia when Jaouen Hadjam opened the scoring after only two minutes. Zambia recovered from the early setback and eventually drew level in the 57th minute through Fashion Sakala.
The hosts responded quickly, however, with Maza restoring their advantage 10 minutes later. Hadj Moussa, introduced from the bench, then gave Algeria breathing space by scoring their third goal in the 74th minute.
The Desert Foxes protected their two-goal advantage through the closing stages to give former Algeria international defender Hamdani a winning start in charge.
