Ali Maaloul's mistake lands Tunisia in trouble against Libya

Maaloul hauled down a Libya player on a Tunisia counter-attack, dragging him to the ground. The referee pointed to the spot, and the resulting penalty gave Libya the opening goal.

Libya led 1-0 at the break.

Tunisia are chasing their first win of the qualifiers. Libya want the three points to climb the group standings.

Two draws, against Botswana and Uganda, left Tunisia with just two points from the opening two rounds.

This clash in qualifying for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations matters enormously. Both teams have stumbled out of the blocks in Group Eight, which also features Uganda and Botswana, and the two head-to-head meetings between the neighbours could decide who edges closest to a qualification ticket.

Moïne Chaâbani leads Tunisia into the qualifiers, having taken charge in the summer of 2026 after steering Espérance de Tunis to back-to-back CAF Champions League titles in 2018 and 2019.

His aim is to restore stability to the Eagles of Carthage, leaning on a squad packed with international pedigree. Ferjani Sassi, Aïssa Laïdouni, Ali Maaloul and Montassar Talbi all feature.

Tunisia opened with a 1-1 draw against Uganda, then threw away the lead against Botswana to draw 2-2, despite Hazem Mastouri scoring both of their goals that night.

Injury has robbed them of Mastouri for both matches against Libya, forcing the staff to call up Mohamed Sadok Guidida in his place.

Libya, meanwhile, are desperate for a win. They started with a 2-2 draw against Botswana, then lost 1-0 to Uganda, taking just a single point from the first two rounds.

Youssef Dabo takes charge of Libya, and he sees the two matches against Tunisia as the chance to drag his side up the qualification race.

Group Eight has only grown tougher. Uganda qualify automatically as one of the tournament hosts, alongside Kenya and Tanzania, which means the group's remaining ticket will go to the best of Tunisia, Libya and Botswana.

A return fixture awaits on 17 November, when Libya host in Tripoli. That doubles the weight of this result for both sides.