Cape Verde clinch a draw following second-half fightback

Cape Verde went five points clear at the top of Group D in 2026 World Cup qualifying after they fought back to earn a 3-3 draw with Libya at the Tripoli Stadium on Wednesday.

The Blue Sharks were trailing as early as the first minute of the game through Roberto Lopes’ own-goal, but Telmo Arcanjo responded with the equaliser on 29 minutes before Ezoo El Mariamy put Aliou Cisse’s side back in front on 52 minutes.

Mahmoud Al Shalwi extended the Mediterranean Knights’ lead on 58 minutes, only for their efforts to be undone by goals from Sidny Cabral and Willy Semedo in the final 23 minutes.

Libya needed another win in Tripoli to keep the pressure on Cameroon in the group after beating Mauritius and Eswatini last month, while Cape Verde were on a roll as they had opened up a four-point gap to the Indomitable Lions following four straight victories.

However, the visitors got off to the worst possible start when Lopes inadvertently put the ball into the back of his own net from a rebound in the opening minute to give the Mediterranean Knights a huge lift.

Fadel Mansour and Maruwan Al Hbeishi has chances to extend their lead inside the opening 20 minutes, but neither of them managed to test Vozinha.

The Blue Sharks saw plenty of the ball in the first half, though they struggled to really threaten until just before the half-hour mark when Arcanjo equalised with a clinical finish from a corner.

Libya showed more intent and they struck again three minutes before half-time as El Mariamy fired past Vozinha from inside the area to restore their lead.

The North Africans continued to create the better chances in the second half and they were firmly in the driver’s seat after Al Shalwi lashed the ball home in the 58th minute.

Bubista turned to his bench on 64 minutes, bringing on Cabral and Nuno Da Costa, and the substitutions paid dividends when the former pulled one back 12 minutes later.

Another substitute made an almost immediate impact as Semedo drew Cape Verde level for the second time in the game with eight minutes left on the clock, having only been on the pitch for five minutes.

In the end, the Atlantic Ocean islanders got their just rewards for an improved second-half performance to keep them at the top of the group with one match remaining in the qualifying.

Libya (2) 3 (Lopes 1′ OG, El Mariamy 42′, Al Shalwi 58′)

Cape Verde (1) 3 (Arcanjo 29′, Cabral 76′, W. Semedo 82′)