Djibouti defied odds and eliminated eSwatini from World Cup

French coach Julien Mette was hired by Djibouti recently and promised to restore the "dignity" of a national team used to heavy losses.

It did not take him long to succeed as a 0-0 draw in eSwatini (formerly Swaziland) earned the "Shoremen of the Red Sea" a 2-1 aggregate victory.

Forcing a goalless draw in Manzini completed an amazing turnaround for the tiny Horn of Africa nation, who were crushed 8-1 overall by the then Swaziland in a 2018 World Cup eliminator.

"All he (the president of the national football federation) wanted was to stop losing 5-0 and 6-0 and I said I would definitely bring him that dignity" Mette told the FIFA website.

Ranked 195th of 211 football nations, Djibouti must now wait for the second round draw, which will include the teams ranked 1 to 26, who received first round byes.