Zambia coach Honour Janza said the 1-1 draw with DR Congo that kicked off his side’s Africa Cup of Nations campaign on Sunday would serve as a “stepping stone”.

The Chipolopolo (Copper Bullets) took the lead in the second minute of the Group B encounter thanks to Given Singuluma, only for Yannick Bolasie to level for the Congolese in the second half.

“It was most important that we did not lose this match because opening games are often very tricky,” Janza said of the 2012 continental champions.

“The early goal was good for us because if DR Congo had scored first, it would have been very difficult for us to come back.

“It was a tough game, but we learnt a few things and this will be a stepping stone for us in this competition.”

Zambia’s next match will be against Tunisia on Thursday, while DR Congo take on Cape Verde in their second game.

The Leopards’ captain Youssouf Mulumbu, of English Premier League club West Bromwich Albion, insisted that his side should have taken all three points.

“We deserved to have won this game because we were the better team today, but we missed many chances and so did not score more than a goal,” he said.

“We showed fear at the beginning and did not react quickly when we went behind so early in the game.

“But we showed some good things in the second half after the coach gave us a very good pep talk at half-time.”