Ethiopia to face Ghana in final round of African qualifier

Ethiopian women football team advanced to the final round of the continental qualifiers for the 2016 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup after a barren draw with Burkina Faso on Sunday in Addis Ababa.

A 2-0 win from the first leg in Ouagadougou last week was enough for the Ethiopians to progress 2-0 on aggregate, and a date with Ghana at the final round.

It was a very balanced game with both sides giving a good account of themselves. With their impressive ball control and possession, many Ethiopian soccer fans were bewildered how Burkina Faso conceded a 2-0 defeat on their home ground.

The visitors dominated the first half of the encounter with the host deploying a defensive approach.

In the second half, the Ethiopians made several attempts at goal but found the Burkinabe backline too strong to breakthrough.

Ethiopia Head Coach Asrat Abate defended the way his players performed in the return leg. “A draw was enough to go through. We understood that after losing the first leg our opponents came to play offensive football with all their power. Our tactic was to play on the counter. We tried to frustrate their moves forward and that tactic really worked. We got what we wanted,” the coach said.

It was however a disappointing moment for Burkina Faso forward Mawoulato Sanogo, after their campaign came to an end.

“We unexpectedly lost the first leg and that cost us dearly. Our performance in the second leg was quite good but we failed to score,” she said.

Ethiopia will now face Ghana for one of the two slots allotted Africa for the final tournament next year in Papua New Guinea.

South Africa and Nigeria will battle it out for the other place.

Source: cafonline.com