After a heroic away performance along with a sweet winning goal from goal poacher Losa Aberra, the Ethiopian Olympic Women’s national U-23 team progressed to the second round qualification showdowns via an aggregate 4-2 score line over Uganda. “We corrected the first costly mistake of losing focus in final minutes of the first game, and as a result, my players achieved an almost impossible task,” Coach Selam Zeray told reporters when she came back home. “We have five months to get prepared for the decisive two leg match against Cameroon,” she added.
After almost throwing away, in the final minutes, a three goal lead to narrowly win 3-2 at the first leg home match, many football fans thought the Ethiopian U-20 Women’s Olympic team would return home head down. But a hard fought showdown under harsh hot weather, Selam’s Army stood guard and got the solitary winning goal through Losa Abera ,23 minutes before the final whistle.
Though the hosts, confident of winning on their own turf mounted a huge effort to turn down the first leg 3-2 win, the visitors’ solid defense managed to stop them short of finding the back of the net. Back to the second half the much composed young Lucy side suddenly set alive the tempo scoring the winning goal when a deflection from Serkadis Guta’s volley presented itself for Losa’s final tapping in to the back of the net. “I was under pressure because I missed goal chances in Addis Ababa so I was overjoyed scoring that winning goal,” Losa remarked after scoring her 23rd international goal.
Five months before the next qualification match against mighty Cameroon, EFF is said to promise at least two international friendly games. “We plan to have five friendly matches out of two internationals with EFF’s blessing,” Selam told reporters.