A goal in each half was enough to hand the Ethiopian U-20 side a win against regional minnows Somalia in a game played out at Addis Ababa Stadium as both nations battled in hope of securing a place in the first round qualifier.
The visitors had two goal attempts in the opening ten minutes through the pacey striker Feysel Hashi. Hashi disturbed the Ethiopian backline with his constant runs for much of the interval.
The deadlock was broken in the 26th minute as Surafel Awel headed home from close range to give the hosts the lead after a superb cross from Ome Mohammed. Awel rose high to head over Somalia custodian Mustapha Hussien.
Mohammed should have doubled the lead in the 39th minute but his powerful shot was off target. Ethiopia dominated possession for the majority of the game but were futile at the attacking third leaving the Somalis to grow in confidence.
Somalia shocked the home crowd in the 77th minute when the unmarked Isse Ibrahim amazingly found the back of the net through header to restore parity.
The Somalis’ celebration cut short through defender Tesfaye Shibru who headed home from point blank range to restore the lead. Somalia’s center back Sadam Abdullahi made unsuccessful attempt to clear off Shibru’s effort.
Ethiopia takes a slander lead into the second leg which is scheduled to be held in Djibouti after two weeks.
Post-Match Reation:
Girma Habteyohannis (Coach, Ethiopia)
“We had a limited time to assemble this national side, even though we managed to play as a unit. We thought we would end the tie with a comfortable lead going to the second leg. Unfortunately, we conceded an away goal which has a crucial effect on the return leg. We hope to work on our goal scoring proficiency. We will try to avoid any costly mistakes. If we continue with this momentum I am pretty sure we will progress to the next qualifying round.”
Mohammed Abdellah (Coach, Somalia)
“We came here with an offensive strategy. It only worked partially but it didn’t completely work due to the climate. We were about to settle for a draw but unfortunately we lost 2-1. The return leg will be in a neutral ground so we hope to snatch a good result there.”
