Eritrean National Team        
SPORT SECTION

   News | Schedule | Game Results | Sport Page | What they're saying|   

The Fruit of our Struggle and Sacrifice starts to blooms"
Ata EzaAtom Menyom, meni,  EziAtom Deki Eri Eyom!

Players in Action ...the training ground where it all starts...
Up Close and Personal...

The 1999 Team includes,

1999 News Clips...

JOHANNESBURG (June 20, 1999 2:01 p.m. EDT http://www.sportserver.com) - Eritrea edged closer to a soccer fairytale on Sunday just 50 kilometers from a bloody border war.
The tiny East African state defeated Mozambique 1-0 in the final African Nations Cup Group 1 fixture to record its first success since entering international football a year ago. Success before a capacity crowd at the Asmara Stadium lifted Eritrea above Mozambique into second place. It will face Zimbabwe and Senegal during July and August for a place at the 2000 finals. Yonas Fishaye scored the only goal after 80 minutes to become an instant hero in a country fighting an increasingly brutal war with southern neighbor Ethiopia. Both countries claim to have killed and wounded thousands of enemy troops without revealing their own casualty figures since war erupted in May 1998 over disputed land.

Eritrea, which held 1984 and 1988 Nations Cup winner Cameroon goalless in a previous home match, hosts Zimbabwe on July 3 in the opening match of the playoffs. Senegal qualified as runners-up to Burkina Faso in Group 5 after defeating Burundi 1-0 in Dakar through an 11th-minute goal from Belgian-based striker Salif Keita. Victory confirmed a gradual improvement in the form of the Senegalese Lions since veteran German coach Peter Schnittger
took charge last December following a 1-0 loss in Burundi.

Senegal begin their playoff programme at home to Eritrea in mid-July and face Zimbabwe twice between August 1-7 in matches likely to determine who advances to the finals next January.
Co-hosts Ghana and Nigeria, defending champions Egypt, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Morocco, South Africa, Tunisia and Zambia have booked places at the biennial showcase

All but wrapped up
Eritrea alive with one African Nations Cup spot left
Posted: Monday June 21, 1999 01:10 PM

CAIRO, Egypt (AP) -- Algeria and the Republic of Congo both staged last-day victories to claim berths in the 2000 African Cup of Nations finals and were joined by Ivory Coast, which struggled to a draw, and Togo, which lost, to all but complete the 16-nation field on Sunday.

One berth remains to be decided, that to come from a three-team league playoff between Zimbabwe, Eritrea and Senegal.  Algeria beat Uganda 2-0 to take the second berth from Group 7 while the Republic of Congo beat Namibia 3-0 to likewise finish runner-up in Group 3.
Ivory Coast won Group 3 despite a lackluster 0-0 draw with Mali.  The other berth decided Sunday went to Togo, which lost to Guinea 2-1 in Conakry -- giving both four points, but put Togo through on goal  differential. Morocco previously had won the group.

Besides Morocco, other teams to have previously secured their places were Cameroon, South Africa, Gabon, Burkina Faso, Zambia, Congo and Tunisia. They will join defending champion Egypt and co-hosts Nigeria and Ghana in next year's finals. In games that had no impact on qualifying berths Sunday, it was: Angola 2, South Africa 2; and Mauritius 2, Gabon 2 in Group 2; Zambia 1, Congo 0; Madagascar 1, Kenya 1 in Group 6; and Liberia beat Tunisia 2-0 in Group 7.  On Saturday, Eritrea beat Mozambique 1-0 to claim its place in the playoff,
and Senegal topped Burundi 1-0 to likewise earn its second chance at qualifying for the finals.
Algeria qualified for the third straight time and the 10th time in the last 11 editions of the biennial continental championship. It will be looking to recover from its miserable three-loss and out performance in 1998.  Marrakeshi Hami had goals in the 39th and 56th minutes to lead it past
Uganda. With Liberia's victory, Hamid's goals were critical. Both sides finished with seven points, but Algeria claimed the place on goal differential, plus-1 to minus-1.   Tunisia had long wrapped up its place as Group 7 winner.  George Weah had the second goal in Liberia's 2-0 victory over Tunisia, securing the victory with an 85th-minute header.

However, he chided the home fans, who jeered the Liberian side after a goalless first half.
"I'm surprised at the Liberian people who are doing nothing for us except booing us and cheering the opponent's team," Weah told reporters. "The fact that Liberia did not qualify is good for everybody because people do not appreciate the efforts of the players." In Group 3, the Ivorians needed only a draw and played like it, creating few chances and stifling Mali, which would have qualified with a victory. 

With the result, the Ivory Coast finished with a 3-2-1 record, atop the group with 11 points. It will be the ninth straight appearance for the Ivorians, the 1992 champions who were beaten by eventual winner Egypt in the quarterfinals in 1998.  Congo's victory vaulted it past Mali with a 3-1-2 record and 10 points, one more than Mali.  In Conakry, a second-half injury time tally off a goalmouth scramble gave Guinea the victory over Togo, but proved not enough to qualify.
Fode Camara gave Guinea the lead in the 53rd minute before Koffi Fiawo equalized on a freekick eight minutes later. 

On Saturday, an 80th-minute goal by Yohannes Sehai gave Eritrea its 1-0   victory over Mozambique, moving it past the Mozambicans for second place in Group 1. Cameroon already had won the group.  Similarly, Senegal's 1-0 victory over Burundi finished it second in Group 5.  Burkina Faso had clinched Group 5 and its automatic berth.  The runner-up finishes sent Eritrea and Senegal into a three-team league   playoff with Zimbabwe.  Two teams from each of the seven groups were to have qualified along with defending champion Egypt and the host.
Ghana and Nigeria had started play in Groups 1 and 5, but when they were promoted to co-host earlier this year after African Football Confederation determined Zimbabwe had not met its requirements, CAF rearranged the group play to let them qualify automatically and put the runners-up against Zimbabwe for one final berth.