Ethiopia 1–0 São Tomé and Príncipe: Walia Ibex edge tight AFCON qualifier in Addis Ababa

Ethiopia began their Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign with a hard-fought 1–0 victory over São Tomé and Príncipe in the preliminary round, grinding out a narrow win in Addis Ababa despite a match of few clear chances and evenly split possession.

• Ethiopia will play with . , on .
• Sao Tome and Principe will play with . , on .

Ethiopia

Sao Tome and Principe

Substitutions:

Ethiopia

Sao Tome and Principe

Ball possession:

Both sides finished with 50% of the ball, underlining how finely balanced the contest was across the 90 minutes. Ethiopia, roared on by the home crowd, tried to impose themselves higher up the pitch but struggled to turn their territorial pressure into clear openings.

Passes:

Remarkably for a side that found a decisive goal, Ethiopia failed to register a shot on target, finishing with four attempts overall, all of them off target. São Tomé and Príncipe mustered just a single effort in reply, also failing to test the goalkeeper. It was a cagey, stop-start encounter more defined by discipline, shape and defensive concentration than attacking fluency.

Defense:

The Walia Ibex relied on quick passing combinations to progress up the pitch, but the final ball was often lacking. The visitors, compact and organised between the lines, dropped into a low block and frustrated their hosts for long spells, frequently forcing Ethiopia into rushed efforts from distance or wide angles.

Face-to-face:

Passing statistics reflected a game short of rhythm. Official tallies recorded both sides with 0% pass accuracy and 0 total passes – an obvious statistical anomaly, but one that underlines how difficult it was for either team to maintain control in midfield. There were no key passes credited for Ethiopia and none for São Tomé and Príncipe, again mirroring the scarcity of incisive through-balls and defence-splitting moments.

The last five games (including this match):

• Ethiopia – W
• Sao Tome and Principe – L

Top 5 Africa Cup of Nations – Qualification scorers:

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Line-ups:

Next games:

• Ethiopia will play with . , on .
• Sao Tome and Principe will play with . , on .