A Look Back At The Walyas In 2014, Part 1
By Zecharias Zelalem, ehahu.com
2014 was not another vintage year in Ethiopian football. It failed to reach the heights of 2013 and 2012. The Ethiopian national team wasn’t able to build on the past couple of history changing years which saw our game come back from oblivion and rejoin the African limelight. Plain and simple, 2014 was a let down. The year our bubble finally burst.
Truth be told, 2013 was always going to be a tough act to follow. Leading Nigeria 1-0, 130 minutes away from reaching the FIFA World Cup in Brazil was a high never experienced by an Ethiopian football team in history. Qualifying for the 2014 CHAN tournament with a nerve wracking penalty shootout win away to Rwanda was another unprecedented feat in 2013. Expecting a repeat might be somewhat greedy and overambitious.
But still, the lackluster showing throughout the year from the beginning to the end cannot be easily excused. The national team failed to live up to expectations and left many wondering how were we able to play such beautifully coordinated football a year ago and then put on mediocre shows at home in what was once a fortress at Addis Ababa stadium.
2014, fans of the Walyas entered the new year having not quite gotten over the massive disappointment of falling at the last hurdle en route to the world cup. The realization the dream was over left most football fans in gloomy spirits, but Sewnet Bishaw, whose tactical ineptness was greatly exposed during the two legged final playoff with Nigeria,
Read more at: eHahu.com
