Libyan national football team beat Botswana 1-0 on Wednesday as part of the first round of “Group 10” qualifiers for AFCON 2023 that will be held in Ivory Coast.

The Libyan national team started the match on the attack to try to take advantage of the public support it enjoyed at home for the first time in several years.

The squad chosen by French coach Corentin Martins for his first official match with the Mediterranean Knights managed to control the ball in most of the first half. In the second half, the Libyan team’s Saleh Al-Taher, scored the winner after he finished the goalkeeper's penalty block of Sanad Al-Werfalli’s shot from the spot in the 54th minute.

With this win, Libya tops the group temporarily with three points, ahead of the match between Tunisia and Equatorial Guinea, which will be played on Thursday.

The Libyan national team will face Equatorial Guinea away on June 6 for the second round of AFCON 2023 qualifiers.