Eritrea stop Eswatini in first leg of Africa Cup of Nations 2027 qualifier

Eritrea registered a 2-0 win against Eswatini in the first leg of the preliminary round of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier on Wednesday night.

Despite failing to convert a penalty late into the first half through Egyptin based professional Ali Sulieman Ibrahim, the Red Sea Camels still roared at the Stade d’Honneur in Morocco.

Earlier Eswatini’s captain Justice Figareido had his effort miss the target after 15 minutes. But Eritrea contained the match and had several missed scored opportunities.

With the clock ticking away to half time Eritrea was awarded a penalty, but Sulieman Ibrahim’s effort was saved by Eswatini’s goalkeeper Mlamuli Lenny Makhanya.

After recess coach Hasham Yakan made some changes which eventually paid off.

Skipper Ablelom Teklezghi gave Eritrea the lead after 82 minutes, and Ali Sulieman Ibrahim made amends to make it 2-0 two minutes into added time.

“I am happy that the players pushed and made sure we got this win. Now we need to prepare for the second leg on March 31st in Eswatini,” said Eritrea’s coach Yakan.

In-case Eritrea eliminates Eswatini, the Red Sea Camels will join other teams in the group stage of the qualifiers.

Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania will host the 2027 TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).