In a dominant display at the Ben Ahmed El Abdi Stadium in El Jadida, Morocco, Ethiopia thrashed Djibouti 6-1 in their Group A clash for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
The victory sees Ethiopia climb to fourth place in the group standings with six points from six matches.
Ethiopia, managed by Mesay Teferi, started strongly and never looked back. They took the lead in the 20th minute through defender Bereket Desta. Just before halftime, forward Abubeker Nasir doubled the lead with a clinical finish assisted by Desta. Nasir added another goal three minutes later, making it 3-0 at the break.
The second half saw Djibouti pull one back through Samuel Akinbinu in the 52nd minute. Ethiopia added their fourth goal through Bereket Desta assisted by Abdulkerim Worku. Abubeker Nasir scored from the penalty spot in the 59th minute to make it 5-1. Bereket Desta completed his hat trick after sending the goalkeeper the wrong way from the penalty spot.
Despite making tactical changes, Djibouti could not mount a comeback, and the match ended with a comprehensive 6-1 victory for Ethiopia.
Ethiopia’s next group game will be against Egypt on September 1st. Djibouti will play Burkina Faso on the same day.
