Ethiopia Football: Defence Force drops points, EEPCO climbs from relegation zone
Addis Ababa – Defence Force failed to take home field advantage when it was held to a scoreless tie by Sebeta City, while EEPCO continued its climb from the relegation zone with a 2-1 victory over Hawassa City here today reported Ermias Amare.
Defence Force could have gone to the top of the league with a victory today, but it failed to do so. Furthermore, Samuel Wuhib received his marching orders 35 minutes into the first half.
Meanwhile, EEPCO led 2-0 at half-time thanks to goals from Philip Dawuzi and Efrem Hadera. Hawassa’s consolation goal came from Ashenafi Adem.
With 7 weeks to go, four teams, namely Ethiopian Coffee (44pts), Dedebit FC (43pts), Defence Force (43pts) and St. George (43 pts), have emerged as top contenders for this year’s Ethiopian Premier League title.
| Rank | Teams | Played | Wins | Draw | Lost | Diff | GD | Points |
| 1 | Ethiopian Coffee | 23 | 12 | 8 | 3 | 41 – 25 | 16 | 44 |
| 2 | Dedebit FC | 23 | 13 | 4 | 6 | 47 – 22 | 25 | 43 |
| 3 | Defence Force | 23 | 12 | 7 | 4 | 41 – 25 | 16 | 43 |
| 4 | Saint George | 23 | 12 | 7 | 4 | 29 – 16 | 13 | 43 |
| 5 | Sidama Coffee | 23 | 8 | 13 | 2 | 24 – 14 | 10 | 37 |
| 6 | Hawassa City FC | 23 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 33 – 28 | 5 | 33 |
| 7 | Harar Brewery FC | 23 | 7 | 12 | 4 | 23 – 18 | 5 | 33 |
| 8 | Mugher Cement | 23 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 21 – 21 | 0 | 33 |
| 9 | Dire Dawa City | 23 | 8 | 5 | 10 | 22 – 30 | -8 | 29 |
| 10 | Adama City FC | 23 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 22 – 33 | -11 | 28 |
| 11 | EEPCO FC | 23 | 7 | 6 | 10 | 28 – 29 | -1 | 27 |
| 12 | Ethiopian Banks SC | 23 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 24 – 29 | -5 | 26 |
| 13 | Trans Ethiopia | 23 | 5 | 8 | 10 | 20 – 29 | -9 | 23 |
| 14 | Sebeta City | 23 | 5 | 6 | 12 | 23 – 34 | -11 | 21 |
| 15 | Lideta Nyala | 23 | 5 | 6 | 12 | 20 – 34 | -14 | 21 |
| 16 | Fincha Sugar | 23 | 0 | 8 | 15 | 13 – 44 | -31 | 8 |
League Table stats based on info obtained from Saint George FC’s website.
