RABAT, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- Libya beat tournament debutants Equatorial Guinea 3-0 in the opening Group C match at the Africa Nations Champions (CHAN) on Monday.
At the Grand Stade in the Moroccan city of Tangier, Saleh Taher scored two goals in the first half.
Neither side created much in the way of chances in the second half, until substitute Zakaria Elharach sealed the win for Libyans with a goal in the 87th minute.
The tournament is for African footballers based in their own domestic leagues and features 16 teams divided into four groups. The final will be held on 4 February.
"We won the trophy in 2014, but that's a thing of the past," Libya's coach Omar Al Maryami said before the match. He also added that Libya must "think about the future" and shouldn't rule out winning the trophy again.
"I'm happy to play this tournament in a country like Morocco, which has all the means [to host it] because the CHAN is a competition similar to the Africa Cup of Nations," he said.
