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Djibouti beat Eswatini 2-1 in FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifier
Hosts Djibouti picked a vital 2-1 win over Eswatini (Swaziland) on Wednesday evening in the first leg of the preliminary round of the FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifier. It was Djibouti’s second win in 12 years. Mahdi Houssein Mahabeh converted a penalty in added time of the first half to give the home side a 1-0 lead.
On return the visitors made it 1-1 with Ntokozo Siboniso Mamba scoring. But the Djibouti team motivated by the home fans pushed forward and the hard work paid off with a goal by Abdi Idleh Hamza after 74 minutes.
In the other matches played by teams from the Council of East and Central African Football Associations (Cecafa) Tanzania battled from a goal down to force a 1-1 draw against Burundi in Bujumbura, while Ethiopia were held to a goalless draw by Lesotho.
The Red Sea Camels of Eritrea suffered a 2-1 defeat to visiting Namibia, while South Sudan settled for a 1-1 draw against Equatorial Guinea in a match played on the neutral venue in Khartoum, Sudan.
Action continues on Thursday with more matches on card before the return leg matches on September 10th that will decide which teams qualify to make the group stage of the qualifiers.