Ethiopia head coach Yohannes Sahle has praised his team’s discipline and collective effort after the Walias secured a crucial 1-0 victory over Mozambique in Maputo in their third match of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.
The Ethiopian national went into this game in need of a win following successive 1-0 losses to Sudan and Senegal during the last international break.
A late goal from Kenean Markneh sealed all three points for Ethiopia, keeping their qualification hopes alive following an important away victory.
Speaking at the post-match press conference at the stadium, coach Yohannes expressed his satisfaction with the result, highlighting the importance of the encounter and his team’s approach against a strong Mozambique side.
“As I said before the game, we came here to get points because this match was extremely important for us. If we had failed to get a result here, we could potentially have been eliminated from the competition. We knew we had to give 100 per cent,” he said.
The Ethiopian coach acknowledged the quality of their opponents, noting Mozambique’s attacking threat from both the flanks and central areas.
“My team played against a strong opponent. Mozambique attack through the wings and the middle, and they created several goalscoring opportunities in the first half. However, we remained disciplined. We tried to play on the counter-attack, and that approach eventually paid off in the second half,” he added.
Yohannes also stressed that Ethiopia must maintain their fighting spirit ahead of their next qualifying fixture, despite the significant boost provided by the victory.
“We still have to fight. As I said, we played with discipline and operated as a team. Perhaps today’s result will give us even more motivation. It brings us closer to the teams ahead of us in the standings,” he explained.
Looking ahead to the next encounter, Yohannes believes playing in front of their home supporters could provide an additional advantage for the Walias.
“The next match will be another battle. We will fight as a team, and we will be playing at home in front of our supporters. That could give us an additional advantage. Overall, being able to win away from home is a huge achievement for us,” the Ethiopian coach concluded.
The victory represents a significant boost for Ethiopia’s AFCON 2027 qualification campaign, with Yohannes’s side now looking to build on their momentum in the upcoming fixture.
Quotes are via Soccer Ethiopia
