The Kaizer Chiefs leading scorer opened the scoring on two minutes and added another one four minutes before the break. Ntofontofo completed his hat-trick, his first of the World Cup qualifying campaign, on 66 minutes.

The victory moves Zambia to the top of the table with 10 points.

“The team has kept growing since we played Togo. I would like to congratulate all the players for their effort. As you can see the team has grown since Togo,” said Zambian coach Kalusha Bwlaya.

Elsewhere, defender Cyril Nzama had an outstanding game in the Bafana Bafana defence as they held on for a 1-0 win against Uganda on Sunday. Goalkeeper Rowen Fernandez and defender Simphiwe Mkhonza were on the bench.

Tinashe Nengomasha was on the losing side as Zimbabwe went down 1-0 to Angola through a Flavio goal. The Angolans move top of Group Four while the Warriors are fourth.

Meanwhile, Kabamba Musasa’s DRC played to a 0-0 draw against Ghana, a result which ultimately ensured top spot for Bafana in Group Two. In Group Five, Malawi played to a 2-2 draw aganist African champions Tunisia.