Cape Verde beat ten-man Ethiopia 1-0 in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Group A match at the Stade Omnisport Paul Biya in Cameroon on Sunday night.
Julio Tavares scored the only goal of the game with Walia Ibex’s Jared Baye receiving his marching orders on the twelfth minute.
Ethiopia settled the quicker of the two teams with Yared Bayeh using his speed to get beyond the Cape Verde defence in the fifth minute, but he was thwarted by Marcio Da Rosa in a one-on-one.
The East Africans continued to control the flow of play after that, but they struggled to break through a resilient Blue Sharks defence.
Cape Verde’s first chance of the match fell to Nuno Oliviera in the 11 th minute with the Casa Pia man flashing his attempt narrowly wide of goal.
A minute later, Ethiopia were reduced to ten-men when Jared Baye received marching orders after a nasty challenge on Kenny Rocha Santos.
The red card wouldn’t Ethiopia though and that was evident when Remdan Yusef was on the attack moments later on the right wing and found himself in the box only to be stopped by Cape Verde’s Roberto Carlos.
The next decent scoring chance only came in the 31st minute after a mistake by Kenny Santos saw him closed down by Getaneh Kebede, but fortunately for the Cape Verde defender the Walia Ibex man couldn’t regather the loose ball and fire into an empty net.
A minute before the break Cape Verde finally mustered a decent attack that was Júlio Tavares sending a powerful header from very close range to the high centre of the goal from an Garry Rodrigues’s cross.
Ethiopia were the first to threaten in the second half when Amanuel Gebremichael let fly with a powerful 20-yard shot, but he was denied by a fine save from the Blue Sharks goalkeeper.
Just after the hour mark Jamiro Monteiro created a great scoring chance for his teammate Dylan Tavares when he met an inch perfect cross, but the winger fired wide from a couple yards out when it was easier to miss.
More positive spells followed the Blue Sharks in the closing quarter, as Willy Semedo dragged a cutback from Nuno Borges narrowly past the bottom-corner.
Ethiopia threw players forward in the dying minutes of the game as the searched for an equaliser, but Cape Verde defence held firm.
How they lined-up:
Ethiopia: Teklemariam Shanko, Suleman Hamid, Aschalew Tamene Seyoum, Yared Baye, Remdan Yusef, Mesud Mohammed (Mignot Debebe 15), Amanuel Yohanis, Surafel Dagnachew, Amanuel Gebremichael (Fitsum Alemu 62), Abubeker Nasir, Getaneh Kebede (Firew Solomon 62)
Cape Verde: Marcio, Steven Fortes, Roberto Lopes, Stopira, Jeffry Fortes, Dylan Tavares, Nuno Borges, Kenny Santos, Jamiro Monteiro, Garry Rodrigues (Willy Semedo 68), Julio Tavares
