Libyan football players toss their Serb coach Branko Smiljanic in the air by way of celebration. The former Al-Ittihad coach must also be given credit for their success

Libya rounded up its participation in the 16th Mediterranean Games in Pescara, Italy by winning its seventh medal, bronze, to add to the one goal and five bronze won previous to this one when the football team beat France 8-7 in a penalty shoot-out in the match for third/fourth place.

Once again, the performance and eventual victory was a pleasant surprise to all Libya. To beat a footballing nation such as France in such a tournament is something we should be proud of. Coming on top of the slender goal defeat suffered against Italy in the semi-finals is indeed encouraging.

Libya’s team, average age of 19 years 1 month did not fear the opposition, this or the others. Against France as against Italy, the Libyan players offered stiff resistance and before the game had to go into the penalty-taking contest it could have gone either way. Both had their chances, but both failed to capitalise on theme.

It proved to be a very clean game played in great sporting spirit with only two yellow cards shown, to Libyans for that matter.

As against Montenegro in the match that catapulted them into the semi-final stage, the Libyan players once again proved to be the better penalty-takers.

Mohieddin Eldanouni; Mansoor Algarmadi, Abdelraouf Gagom, Osama M. Mansor, Rabea Abubaker, Wisam Elzaredi (Kamal Issa 80), Fouad Altriki, Ali Grein (Eyad Zrimeg 85), Ahmed Ekrawa (Ihab Elmhashhash 68), Marwan Ahmed

In the penalty shoot-cout, Libya’s goals were scored by Mansoor, Altriki, Marwan, Zrimeg, Elmhashhash, Abubaker, Elgarmadi, Elzaradi, while Gagom and Issa had their shots saved by the French goalkeeper, Coubronne.

The Libyan goalkeeper, Mohieddin Eldanouni also saved one of the penalties taken by the French, who lost out when two other players, one of them goalkeeper Courbronne, missed their target.

The other Libyan in action on Saturday was Judoka Mohamed Belgasam in the Under 100kg category. He got a bye to the second round and eventually finished fifth from nine athletes after getting beaten by Italian Borin

So thanks to this success, Libya end up the Mediterranaen Games with their best ever medals tally having also won the gold through Mohamed Khwaja (Men’s 400m run), and the bronze through Aboubaker Elghatruni (Men’s 800m), Hamza Deaf (Men’s 400m) Ali Ziad (half marathon), and Mohamed Eshtewi's two (weightlifting - snatch and clean and jerk)