ZAMBIA goalkeeper Kennedy Mweene scored a late penalty after Nigeria missed one against him in the first half to rescue the defending champions at the African Nations Cup on Friday.<\/p>\n
The 1-1 draw at the Mbombela Stadium between the two heavyweights in Group C leaves both teams perilously placed without a win but still with a chance to grab a quarterfinal place early next week.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m happy with the result because of the circumstances,\u201d Zambia coach Herve Renard told reporters.<\/p>\n
\u201cNever forget we had Nigeria ahead of us. We are still alive and we are still in a good way to qualify.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mweene slotted home an 85th-minute spot kick after Emmanuel Mayuka had been tugged down on the edge of the Nigerian area by Ogenyi Onanzi in what looked a harsh decision from Egyptian referee Grisha Ghead.<\/p>\n
Nigeria had taken the lead in the 57th minute through Emmanuel Emenike\u2019s second of the tournament after John Obi Mikel had won the ball in midfield and played in a decisive pass.<\/p>\n
The champions had the better of the first half exchanges as they pinned back Nigeria, who had Victor Moses in the lineup after injury, but laboured in the second period.<\/p>\n
Nigeria boss Stephen Keshi said: \u201cI have no choice but to be happy but my goal was to get three points. Zambia were never going to be easy to play against.\u201d<\/p>\n