Omer Ahmed, the Eritrean national team coach, is delighted with his side’s effort despite the Red Sea Camels losing all their two opening games of the GOtv Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup.

Eritrea lost by 3-0 margins for the second successive game, this time against champions Uganda at the City Stadium on Monday.

The defeat left them with the slimmest of chances, if any, to progress as the best losers while victory ensured Uganda made the last eight with a game to spare.

But while the Cranes were all over Eritrea in the first half, scoring all goals in the period, the Red Sea Camels did make an impression after recess, boasting of great chances themselves but being let down by inexperience and poor application in front of goal.

That second half display especially gave Omer some encouraging notes. “For me I think I have been happy with my boys’ performance,” he told supersport.com.

“As you can see, we have been losing big in previous campaigns but not playing well, but now we lose 3-0 against Sudan, and now 3-0 against Uganda, but we play better (than before).”

Omer added: “We play a very tough team, Uganda… we play the champions. In the first half they play better and score their chances.

“But for us in second half we play very well, beautiful football, we pass the ball better but when we reach the box, my players don’t have experience to score. We are a young team and have no experience like Uganda. But we are growing and will be better.”

Eritrea face Rwanda in their last group opener with each side hoping to score as many as possible to hang in there, depending on results elsewhere.

Source: Super Sport