Eritrea made a poor start in the inaugural 2019 CECAFA U-17 Women’s Challenge Cup losing 5-0 to Tanzania on Monday.

Coach Mekonnen Zewde’s team tried to play a passing game but failed to tame the tough Tanzanian team at the Fufa Technical Center in Njeru.

Tanzania scored a hat-trick through Joyce Meshack, while Aisha Hamis Masaka netted a first half brace.

Eritrea was forced to substitute goalkeeper Miley Tesfaalem to bring on Rim Redje later in the game.

Eritrea’s coach Mekonnen Zewde said they lost to a good team. “We do not have the experience and our team is here to get exposure,” added the coach.

“We are happy to start the tournament with a big win,” said Tanzania’s head coach Shime Bakari after the game.

The CECAFA U-17 Women’s Challenge Cup is being played on a round robin format. Besides Eritrea, the other teams taking part in this tournament include; Uganda, Kenya, Djibouti, Tanzania and Burundi.