2 days ago
Dramatic start to Libyan league championship playoffs
The opening round of the Libyan Premier League Championship Playoffs kicked off with intense drama, as the highly anticipated clash between Al-Ahly Tripoli and Al-Ahly Benghazi was abruptly halted before the end of the first half. The match, held at the 'Arena Civica' stadium in Milan, Italy, was going in Al-Ahly Tripoli's favor with a 2–0 lead before being suspended.
Al-Ahly Tripoli started the match strongly, converting early dominance into a goal in the 16th minute by Rwandan player Djihad Bizimana. Star winger Hamdou Elhouni doubled the lead in the 25th minute.
As the first half neared its end, tensions escalated when the referee showed a red card to a member of Al-Ahly Benghazi's administrative staff, sparking heated protests from the Benghazi technical team.
The match was interrupted for 17 minutes amid ongoing objections, before the referee left the pitch—effectively bringing the game to a premature halt. The final decision on the match outcome now lies with the tournament's organizing committee, with the score standing at a provisional 2–0 in favor of Al-Ahly Tripoli.
In the second match of the day, Al-Sweihli and Al-Hilal played to a 2–2 draw at the 'Artist Breda' stadium. Meanwhile, Al-Akhdar began their playoff campaign with a 2–1 victory over Al-Ittihad in a game held at 'Città di Meda' stadium, also in Milan.
With these results, Al-Akhdar temporarily tops the standings with three points, followed by Al-Hilal and Al-Swehli with one point each. Al-Ittihad sits at the bottom with no points, pending the final ruling on the suspended match between Al-Ahly Tripoli and Al-Ahly Benghazi.
