It was all night partying for the
fans of Ethiopia on Monday as
their national team returned
to the Africa Cup of Nations in
style after a 31-year absence.
The Walya Antelopes, playing
with a man less after goalkeeper
Jemal Tassew was sent off for a
professional foul, drew 1-1 with
defending champions Zambia in
front of their fans who
outnumbered their opponents
at the Mbombela Stadium.
Ethiopia coach Sewnet Bishaw
had said that they were not
under any pressure to perform
during the competition.
"Ethiopia has already made
history by qualifying for Afcon
2013 finals so we don't have
any further targets than gaining
experience at this level and
enjoying our participation," he
told Cafonline.
Hours after that game, which
seemed like a win, Ethiopian
fans ran around the city of
Nelspruit rejoicing while
chanting songs in Amharic. They
waved their flags and hugged
each other as it dawned on
them that they had returned to
the biggest football stage on the
African continent - with a bang.
However, the reverse was the
case for Nigerian fans who had
anticipated a big win for their
team who came up against
Burkina Faso.
Nigeria fans anticipated a big
win
The Super Eagles took the early
lead via Emmanuel Emenike but
were undone by good work
from Jonathan Pitroipa who
gave a man of the match
performance. His pass to
substitute Alain Traore unlocked
the Nigerian defence as Vincent
Enyeama was beaten in goal.
Crestfallen Naija fans walked
away from the arena knowing
how close they were to three
points on the night. Some
cursed the referee for some of
the calls that went against their
team. Unlike the Ethiopians fans
who went violent when their
goalkeeper was sent off,
Nigerian fans were more tame
and only booed the referee.
But the Super Eagles were
unable to produce a miracle
There's still a lot more to play for
in Mbombela. All the teams in the
group have a point each.
Perhaps most panicky are the
Zambians whose team looked
like they weren't ready for the
tournament.
The Chipolopolo fans anticipate
a big clash against Nigeria on
Friday. It is set to be a group
deciding encounter.
While the Ethiopians are happy
to be back, they are not only
enjoying the atmosphere, but
they will be hoping to upset
Burkina Faso in their next game
to make a case for the knock out
stages.
Group C is definitely shaping up
to be an unpredictable lot after
all.
Source: m.naij.com/news/20703.html