The Walias of Ethiopia put in an imperious performance to hold the Black Stars of Ghana to a fascinating 1-1 draw in their penultimate game of the Qatar 2022 qualifiers, played at the Orlando Stadium in the South African soccer city of Johannesburg.
The Black Stars went into the game off the back of a one hundred percent record in the Milovan Rajevac’s era but the Ethiopians produced a spirited showing to end their(Black Stars) two-game winning streak.
Wobetu Abate’s men dominated within the first twenty minutes of the game but failed to engineer a clear-cut chance to go in front. The Black Stars took over and managed to convert their first chance of the game through a stunning Andre Ayew’s free kick in the 22nd minute.
The Black Stars nearly doubled their advantage shortly after Ayew had put them in front when Amanuel Yohannes’ save from Kamaldeen Sulemana’s effort went straight to the legs of Richmond Boakye Yiadom who missed from close range. The Black Stars continued to show flashes of quality in the rest of the first half but could not cushion their lead.
The Walias began the recess pretty dominant as they pinned Ghana to the back. The West Africans were extremely sloppy and disjointed in midfield and this gave the Walias the license to attack in full throttle. The Ethiopians’ dominance paid off when striker Gataneh Kedebe struck in the 72nd minute to ensure they deservedly leveled the scores.
The result has left Ghana with a mammoth mountain to climb in their quest to qualify for 2022 world cup in Qatar. The Black Stars sit second in Group G, level on points with South Africa who take on Zimbabwe tonight. The South Africans have amassed a total of 10 points and 3 goals with a game in hand. Ghana on the other hand has accumulated 10 points plus four goals.
Ghana needs a hugely convincing win over South Africa when the two teams square off in Cape Coast. As for Ethiopia, they come face to face with Zimbabwe away from home in a game which will be a mere academic exercise as both teams have no chance of making it to the play-offs stage.
Source/A1radioonline.com/101.1/Elijah Beyeni Yenibey/Ghana
