LEAD: Zambia top group A after beating co-hosts Equatorial Guinea

Jan 29, 2012, 20:42 GMT

Libreville, Gabon - Zambia on Sunday secured a 1-0 victory against co-hosts Equatorial Guinea to top group A at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Christopher Katongo's second-half goal was enough to see the southern African team top the group with seven points from Equatorial Guinea, who had already earlier qualified for the next round. They finished on six points.

Libya, who beat Senegal 2-1 in Bata in a game played at the same time, finished on four points, while Senegal had none.

Playing their first game in the capital Malabo, Equatorial Guinea were cheered on by a capacity crowd, but Zambia were not overwhelmed, as they played a patient game.

They were rewarded in the 67th minute, when Katongo received the ball from a throw-in and had space to run towards the penalty area, unleashing a low shot that beat Brazilian-born goalkeeper Danilo in the right-hand corner.

The co-hosts, who had stunned Libya and Senegal in their earlier matches, tried to come back into the game, but simply found no way through a strong Zambian defence.

In Bata, Senegal coach Amara Traore, who is expected to lose his job at the end of the tournament after his team, who were one of the pre-tournament favorites, were eliminated in the first round, made six changes to the side that lost 2-1 to Equatorial Guinea.

The coach gave starts to Souleymane Camara and Omar Daf, who both played in the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations final, where the team lost on penalties and the World Cup finals in the same year, where the Lions of Teranga lost in the quarter-finals.

However, it was Libya who had the better start - going ahead in the fifth minute when Ihab Albusaifi scored after being set up by Ahmed Sa'ad.

Senegal drew level just six minutes later when Deme Ndiaye made the most of poor Libyan defending and nodded home a corner from Mamdou Niang.

Libya, who knew that they needed to win to stand any chance of going through, kept on going forward, but seldom managed to put Senegal under any real pressure.

The did, however, secure the victory with six minutes to go, when Albusaifi scored from close range, giving the side their first Africa Cup of Nations victory since 1982.

Sadly for them, it was not enough as Zambia got the result they needed to join Equatorial Guinea in the next round.

Earlier in the week, the other co-hosts Gabon, as well as Tunisia and the Ivory Coast, had qualified for the round of the last eight at the January 21 - February 12 tournament.