The Red Sea Camels of Eritrea have lost 2-1 in the first leg match of the FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifier against Namibia.

Cheered on by a passionate crowd at the Asmara National Stadium, the Red Sea Camels controlled the match well with good approach in the first half but failed to take the lead.

Skipper Peter Shalulile gave the visitors the lead five minutes into the second half before an own goal by Essy Tesfay gave Namibia a 2-0 lead.

The Red Sea Camels fought back but not even a 65^th minute goal by Ali Suleiman could save them from defeat.

Eritrea’s coach Efrem Alemseghed said he was disappointed that his defenders did not play tight. “We need to improve ahead of the return leg on September 10^th in Namibia,” added the coach.

In other preliminary matches played on Wednesday Tanzania held Burundi to a 1-1 draw in Bujumbura, while South Sudan struggled to register a 1-all draw against Equatorial Guinea and Djibouti picked a 2-1 home win over Eswatini.