After thrashing Libya, Lucy faces strong Algeria

With a new record setting performance on Tuesday Ethiopian Women side Lucy got through the Total Women’s African Cup of nations qualification second round to face Algeria in the last two leg showdown. “Our target is simple and clear that is qualifying to the cup final. We are going to do our best to go past Algeria and I hope EFF will give us a helping hand in making the dream come true,” head coach SelamZeray suggested after the hard to believe  victory.
Libya after all might not be among the best teams on the continent but Lucy’s adventure of returning home with 8-0 score victory was beyond imagination. A hat trick from RehimaZergaw and a double from LosaAberra was something to talk about until the return home leg on Tuesday. In front of the home fans Lucy rose to the occasion once again to crush the visitors to a 7-0 score line sailing into the next qualification round with an astonishing 15-0 aggregate result.
With two goals during  the away first leg, goal machine LosaAberra added a quadruple at home to make her tally six while away hat trick hero Rehima Zergaw stroked twice for a total of five goals. Hiwot Dengiso, Merekat Feleke, Senait Bogale, Bethelehem Kefyalew and Bezuayehu Tadess each had a single goal to their name, the Egyptian side is out of the competition with their biggest ever defeat in their football history.
Nevertheless Lucy’s next adversary is Algeria with abundant international experience including participation in the Asian Championship. Previously, Algeria dismissed Ethiopia from the 2016 African Cup qualification with a 2-1 aggregate victory after a 1-1 draw here in Addis Ababa.
Algeria got past Senegal in the two leg qualification with a 3-2 aggregate victory which means a huge two-leg showdown remains for Selam to fulfill her dream of a Cup final place in Ghana. Ethiopia, absent from the recent pool last time, stands 79th on the Fifa world ranking table while Algeria sits 76th. The first leg takes place in Algers on 4th June with the return leg on 12th  June 2018.
Despite the huge victory some critics suggest that Selam will be haunted by her rejection of the country’s best player Bertukan G/Kirstos if things go wrong against Algeria. “Bertukan and Selam should come to peace for the good of Ethiopian Women’s Football and someone should act to break the deadlock,” a critic suggested.