Chipolopolo goalkeeper Willard Mwanza says he was confident he would save Mali’s penalty during Zambia’s 1-1 draw on Monday.
The Power Dynamos shot-stopper delivered a crucial first-half save from the spot, a moment that proved decisive in keeping Zambia in the contest.
After Mathews Banda brought down Nene Dorgeles in the box, and with the assistance of a VAR check, a penalty was awarded to Mali.
El Bilal Toure stepped up for the Eagles but his low effort was superbly saved by Mwanza.
“I was not shaken by the referee’s decision to award Mali a penalty,” Mwanza said.
“I trusted myself completely. As the Malian player stepped up, I looked at him and knew I was going to stop his penalty kick.”
Mali had earlier taken the lead through Lassine Sinayoko, but Zambia responded in the second half with an equaliser from Patson Daka to earn a valuable point in AFCON 2025 Group A.
Next for Zambia is Comoros while Mali will play Group A log leaders and hosts Morocco.
AFCON 2025 – Group A Standings
🇲🇦 Morocco — 3 points
🇲🇱 Mali — 1 point
🇿🇲 Zambia — 1 point
🇰🇲 Comoros — 0 points
Fixtures
Round 2
🇲🇦 Morocco vs Mali 🇲🇱
🇿🇲 Zambia vs Comoros 🇰🇲
Round 3
🇰🇲 Comoros vs Mali 🇲🇱
🇿🇲 Zambia vs Morocco 🇲🇦
