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#1 CAN 2021: Ethiopia, the big fish
The big odds of the CAN: Ethiopia
FIFA ranking: 137th.
Best CAN result: Winner in 1962.
Only Gambia is ranked lower than them in the FIFA ranking before this CAN 2021. The figure says a lot about Ethiopia’s status as a small thumb before this CAN. Although the Walya (Abyssinian ibex) have already won the CAN once (1962) and hosted the competition three times (1962, 1968 and 1976), in recent years, the team had to settle for the preliminary round or the group stage in 2013, and before that, in 1982.
Based mainly on domestically-based players, in a league that is just taking off, this team emerged from a group that also included Côte d’Ivoire, Madagascar and Niger. Difficult to beat at home, at altitude, will they be able to export their lively and alert soccer?
Pros: fast players, offensive principles of play, no pressure.
The minuses: a team especially strong at home, a big deficit of international experience.
The star: Getaneh Kebede
Alongside serial striker Abubeker Nasser and master player Shimelis Bekele, Getaneh Kebede is the star of the team. Captain and top scorer of the Walya (32 goals in 61 appearances), the player who plays for Wolkite Ketema, a big club in the local league, will be playing in Cameroon for the second time in his career, after the 2013 edition in South Africa.
The coach: Wubetu Abate
Appointed Ethiopia coach in September 2020, Wubetu Abate was able to fulfill the first part of the mission assigned to him by qualifying the Walya for the CAN in Cameroon. “I like challenges (…) and I have already taken many during my coaching career. Leading the national team is for me a dream come true,” said at the time of his appointment the man who led Ethiopian Coffee to the national title in 2011 and Sudanese Al-Ahly Shendi to the qualification for the Confederation Cup.
#2 Samuel Eto’o comforts the victims of the Olembe stampede (photos)
THE BOY14 hours since
Samuel Eto’o, head of the Cameroon Football Federation (FECAFOOT), went to the bedside of the victims of the Olembe stadium incidents this Tuesday morning to give them his support.
More than a week after the drama of Olembe, the president of Fecafoot, Samuel Eto’o went to the bedside of the victims of the deadly stampede that occurred at the southern entrance of the stadium of Olembe during the match between Cameroon and Comoros.
Samuel Eto’o
In addition to the tour of platforms that the images of this visit have made, this trip of the current president of Fecafoot aims to support these people who are receiving care in hospitals for their recovery.
A total of eight (08) people had lost their lives and 38 others injured in the incident at Olembe Stadium. In the aftermath, CAF had briefly suspended the stadium built to host this 33rd edition of the African Cup of Nations.
#3 CAN 2021: Senegal, in first place for the final
CAN 2021: Senegal finds the final
Unfortunate finalist of the previous edition, Senegal has qualified for the final of the CAN 2021 by holding its rank against a valiant Burkina Faso (3-1) on Wednesday in the semi-finals at the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium in Yaounde. The Lions will try to win the first CAN of their history on Sunday against the winner of Cameroon-Egypt, scheduled for Thursday.
We quickly witnessed the expected scenario with the Senegalese putting their foot on the ball against an opponent who relied on counterattacks.
Apart from the long shots of Ciss and Mané, Aliou Cissé’s men struggled to threaten, while the Burkinabe lacked sharpness in the area to conclude their counterattacks, as the shot of Bertrand Traore easily captured by Edouard Mendy.
3 penalties cancelled, terrible CAN!
While the debates started to be animated, as the rescue on the line of Kaboré on a rebound of Famara Diédhiou, a big clash between Koffi and Kouyaté led to long minutes of interruption.
After first whistling a penalty in favor of the Lions, referee Bamlak Tessema finally changed his mind after using VAR, considering that Koffi had first touched the ball before colliding with his opponent.
Although the Burkina Faso goalkeeper was forced to be stretchered off, it was Senegal who tended to lose the lead after the extended stoppage and Edouard Mendy had to make a decisive save to deny Bandé.
The Lions woke up before the break. After another penalty was waved off by the VAR, logically enough, after a slight contact with Kaboré, Mané fired a firecracker into the box but Farid Ouédraogo was on hand to save. Tapsoba then deflected a missile from Gueye with his elbow, but Bamlak Tessema, after having whistled for the penalty kick, was again overruled. This was also a logical decision.
Mané comes out of his box
Less dominant after the break, Senegal had to rely on Koulibaly’s save from Bertrand Traore before finding a second wind through Pape Gueye and Ismaïla Sarr. The danger was again close to the Burkinabe goal and, from a corner, Koulibaly’s return turned into an unintentional assist for Abdou Diallo who opened the score (1-0, 70th). Pape Gueye missed the 2-0 in the next minute, but Mané then took advantage of a high recovery from Gana Gueye to serve the Parisian who threw himself at the same time as Dieng to take the ball from close range.
The goal was awarded to the Marseille player by the CAF, but it allowed Aliou Cissé’s men to make the break (2-0, 76th). If Blati Toure revived the suspense by taking advantage of the passivity of the Senegalese defense to take a cross from Kaboré (2-1, 82nd), Mané then folded the match definitively by lobbing Ouédraogo in conclusion of a counter (3-1, 87th). Senegal will be again in the final!
Burkina Faso-Senegal line-up
Burkina Faso: Koffi – I. Kaboré, E. Tapsoba, Dayo , Yago – Touré, Guira, Sangaré – Bayala, B. Traoré, Bandé.
Senegal: Mendy – B. Sarr, Koulibaly, Diallo, Ciss – N. Mendy, Kouyaté, I. Gueye – Dieng, Diedhiou, Mané.
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