Libya score twice late to hold Botswana in dramatic AFCON 2027 qualifier

Libya recovered from two goals behind to draw 2-2 with Botswana in a dramatic opening match of their AFCON 2027 qualifying campaign on Thursday, 24 September 2026.

Botswana appeared to be on course for victory after Tumisang Orebonye struck twice in the first half, silencing the crowd at the Tripoli stadium.

The forward put the visitors ahead in the 30th minute before adding a second 12 minutes later. Botswana’s disciplined performance gave Libya a significant deficit to overcome at the interval.

However, the Mediterranean Knights responded strongly after the break and applied sustained pressure as they looked to rescue a result in front of their home supporters.

Their comeback began when Maruwan Alhibeeshi reduced the deficit in the 87th minute. Libya then completed the recovery deep into added time, with Ezoo El Mariamy converting a penalty in the 96th minute.

The late equaliser ensured the teams shared the points after a match that remained in doubt until the final whistle.

The result leaves Libya and Botswana level in a closely contested Group H, with both sides taking a point from their first fixture. Botswana’s first-half advantage was overturned by Libya’s forceful second-half response, while the visitors’ Zebras held on for most of the contest before conceding twice at the end.