The only striker in the starting line-up scored the winning goal in the 57th minute, after a weak cross pass that led to him being fouled by goalkeeper Moaz Al-Lafi.
40,000 spectators gathered at Nelson Mandela Stadium in the capital, Algiers, led by Algerian Prime Minister Ayman bin Abdelrahman, Swiss President of the International Federation of the game “FIFA” Jani Infantino, and his African counterpart, Patrice Motsepe.
The Algerian national team, with 3 points, topped the first group, which includes, in addition to Libya, bottom of the standings without points, Ethiopia and Mozambique.
Algeria is seeking to win this tournament for local players for the first time, after finishing fourth in a previous participation 12 years ago.
17 teams are participating in the tournament, which takes place between January 13 and February 4. The tournament was organized for the first time in 2009 and was won by the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Côte d’Ivoire.
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