ongo maintained their place atop their Africa Cup of Nations qualifying group with a 1-1 draw against Zambia at the Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola on Wednesday.

The result sees both teams on five points after three games following a win and a draw each in their previous encounters.

The result combined with Guinea Bissau’s 1-0 win over Kenya in the other Group E match sees Congo on top of the standings with five points, followed by Zambia (also on five points), then Guinea Bissau in third with four points and Kenya in last place with one point.

Congo will be the happier of the two teams after coming from behind to secure a point away from home in front of boisterous Zambian spectators.

The opening half produced very little in terms of goalmouth action with neither side able to fashion any clear-cut chances which resulted in the stanza ending 0-0.

Zambia took the game by the scruff of the neck at the start of the second 45 and made their dominance count with the opening goal on the hour mark courtesy of a strike from Winston Kalengo, 1-0.

Congo, though, fought back and manged to find an equaliser in the 75th minute thanks to a clinical finish from Jordan Massengo, 1-1.

Neither team could find the winner in the final 15 minutes of the tie as the match ended all-square.

The reverse fixture will take place four days later, on 27 March 2016, at the Stade Alphonse Massamba Debat in Brazzaville.