AFCON 2021: Cape Verde Sink 10-Man Ethiopia to Kick Off Campaign on Flying Start

• Ethiopia vs Cape Verde Group A clash of the 2021 AFCON ended in a 1-0 win in favour of the Blue Sharks
• Julio Tavares scored the only goal of the match that separated the two sides at Stade Omnisport Paul Biya, Olembe
• Ethiopia will be looking to get their campaign back on track when they take on hosts Cameroon in their next fixture

Cape Verde have kicked off their AFCON campaign in Cameroon on a positive note after seeing off 10-man Ethiopia 1-0 in their Group A opener.

Ethiopia qualified for the continental showpiece after they finished second in Group K of the qualifiers behind Ivory Coast.

They went into the Sunday, January 9, clash staged at Stade Omnisport Paul Biya, Olembe, off an encouraging 3-2 win over Sudan during a friendly tie played at the end of 2021.

However, they were unable to build on the momentum during their meeting with Cape Verde as they fell against the west African nation in their first group match of the 2021 AFCON.

AFCON 2021: Relief for Senegal as Watford release key player after row

Football

The Wubetu Abate-tutored side was reduced to 10 men just 12 minutes into the match after Yared Bayeh Belay was shown a straight red card.

They were able to keep their opponents at bay for the better part of the first half but were unable to see out the rest of it after Julio Tavares fired Cape Verde into the lead minutes before the break.

Neither side was able to find the back of the net after the interval, as Tavares' solitary goal separated the two sides.

Cape Verde's slim win has them sitting second on Group A behind hosts Cameroon on goal difference.

Ethiopia will be looking to get their campaign back on track when they take on hosts Cameroon in their next fixture

Arsenal eliminated from FA Cup

Earlier, Sports Brief reported Nottingham Forest vs Arsenal FA Cup third-round clash ended in a 1-0 defeat for the Gunners.

Senegal plung into COVID crisis with 3 big players testing positive with 3 days to AFCON

Football

Lewis Grabban was Nottingham's match hero as his solitary goal fired his side to the next round.

The Championship outfit will now take on holders, Leicester City, in the next round of the tourney.