The 3rd edition of the African Nations Championship made history last Saturday with Libya clinching the title by beating Ghana on penalties, 4-3, after a goalless draw in regular time. This victory marked Libya’s first continental triumph, a remarkable achievement given the recent socio-political challenges faced by the country.
Throughout the tournament, Libya displayed resilience, relying on penalty shootouts to secure victories against Gabon and Zimbabwe in the quarter-finals and semi-finals, respectively. Javier Clemente, the Spanish coach, made history as the first European coach to lead a team to victory in this competition.
Despite being considered the tournament favorite, Nigeria settled for third place after defeating Zimbabwe 1-0. Nigeria’s midfielder, Christantus Ejike Uzoenyi, was named the best player of the CHAN tournament. Additionally, three Nigerian players were included in the competition’s standard team, along with three players from Ghana.
South Africa’s Bernard Parker emerged as the top scorer with four goals, all of which were scored during the group stages, as South Africa did not advance beyond this phase.
Final Ranking:
- Libya
- Ghana
- Nigeria
- Zimbabwe
Individual Awards: Best Player: Christantus Ejike Uzoenyi (Nigeria) Top Scorer: Bernard Parker (South Africa) – 4 goals
Best Team: Goalkeeper: Mohamed Abdaula (Libya) Defenders: Ali Salama (Libya), Partson Jaure (Zimbabwe), Odunlami Kunle (Nigeria), Joshua Tijani (Ghana) Midfielders: Kudakwashe Mahachi (Zimbabwe), Mohamed Elgadi (Libya), Jordan Opoku (Ghana), Christantus Ejike (Nigeria) Forwards: Rabiu Ali (Nigeria), Seidu Bansey (Ghana)
