They beat Ghana 4-3 in post match penalties in the final of the African Nations Championship on Saturday, February 1, 2014.

Libya claimed their first ever continental title on Saturday in Cape Town- South Africa when they won the 2014 edition of the African Nations Championship.

The Mediterranean Knights beat favourites; the Black Stars of Ghana 4-3 in post match penalties after both sides were tied at zero gaols each after the regular and extra time of play. It was the third successive match Libya won by penalty shootout, after ousting Gabon and Zimbabwe in the same manner in the quarter- and semi-finals respectively.

Both teams were equal in strength though with different strategies. Ghana had the edge in terms of pace and athleticism, but Libya were well organised and looked dangerous on the counter attack. It was no surprise to see the match end goalless after the regular time of 90 minutes and head into an extra half hour given the history of past confrontations between these two countries.

Their previous two meetings in the group stages of this year's competition and the 2009 event ended in 1-1 draws, while Ghana won the penalty shoot-out in the 1982 Africa Cup of Nations final after the teams finished level at 1-1 after extra time. However, the penalty shootout this time saw Ghana miss their first two kicks to great saves by Nashnush, but Adams soon saved two himself to keep the West Africans in the hunt, but Tijani Joshua missed the final kick, it saw the Mediterranean Knights win 4-3.

Libya won the cup despite having lost the opportunity to host the competition. The tournament was initially scheduled to take place in Libya, but due to the political upheavals in that country, the event was taken to South Africa. Libya football has made significant progress recently and the winning of the CHAN title is just a befitting and just coronation for their effort. Hopefully the victory will help to heal the wounds of division in that country.