October 12, (THEWILL) – Ethiopia faced a significant setback in their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification campaign on Saturday evening, suffering a 4-1 defeat against Guinea at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Abidjan. The loss placed Ethiopia at the bottom of Group H with only one point, while Guinea moved up to third position with three points.
Currently, DR Congo leads Group H with nine points, followed by Tanzania in second place with four points. These top two positions will determine qualification for the Morocco 2025 tournament. Guinea demonstrated their dominance early in the match, with Serhou Guirassy opening the scoring from the penalty spot in the 18th minute.
Guirassy continued his impressive performance, scoring again in the 38th minute with assistance from Seydouba Cisse. The Borussia Dortmund forward completed his hat-trick just before half-time, capitalising on a pass from Francois Kamano to give Guinea a commanding 3-0 lead at the interval.
The second half began with Guinea further extending their advantage. Cisse found the net in the 48th minute, courtesy of an assist from Mady Camara, bringing the score to 4-0. Ethiopia managed to score a consolation goal through Canaan Markneh in the 53rd minute, but it proved insufficient to alter the course of the match.
The two teams are scheduled to meet again for a return match on Tuesday, at the same venue in Abidjan. This upcoming fixture presents an opportunity for Ethiopia to improve their standing in the group, while Guinea will aim to build upon their recent success.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
