By Admin,

Ethiopia Walia Ibex hopes of qualifying for Africa Cup of Nations 2015 dwindled further as they lost 0-2 at home to a more resilient Mali in an entertaining match played at the National Stadium in Addis Ababa,

Ethiopia coach Mariano Barreto rung several changes to his team starting with keeper Sisay Bancha as Swedish based defender Walid Atta earned his debut .

The game begun like a house on fire with both sides firing from all cylinders but it was a rejuvetanted Mali who lost 1-0 to Algeria in their last game who showed more impetus infront of goal as Abdoulaye Diaby broke the deadlock with a fine strike past a hapless Sisay Bancha in the 33^rd minute as they held on to the break.

The second half was a see saw affair as Mali continued to pile pressure on Ethiopia which paid off handsomely in the 60^th minute when Sambou Yatabare put matters beyond Ethiopia with a nother strike to give the visitors a 2-0 advantage over the hosts who seemed to have been demoralized by the sudden turn of events .

The loss was the third for Ethiopia in three matches they have played so far in the qualifiers as they are bottom of Group B with no point having so far conceded 7 goals.Ethiopia lost 2-1 against Algeria at home before falling 3-2 against Malawi away.

On the other hand Mali remain second in the group having beaten Malawi 2-0 before losing to Algeria 1-0 and the deserved 2-0 win over Ethiopia.Algeria lead the group with 9 points having won all their three matches .

Ethiopia XI v Mali: Sisay, Biadgelegn, Bargecho, Atta, Abebaw, Andargachew, Natnael, Shemeles, Yusuf, Getaneh, Umed Oukr

Collins Okinyo

Ex- CAF Media Expert. An expert on African football with over 15 years experience ,always with an ear to the ground with indepth knowledge of the game. I have worked for top publications including 7 years at www.supersport.com until i founded www.soka25east.com to quench the thirst of football lovers across the continent. I have trained young upcoming journalists who are now a voice in African football.I have covered World Cup,AFCON,CHAN,Champions League,Confederations Cup,Cecafa,Cosafa,Wafu and many other football tournaments across the World. Founder Football Africa Arena(FAA),Founder www.afrisportdigital.com