Egypt’s shock 2-0 defeat to Ethiopia in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers has reportedly left the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) scrambling for answers.
The Pharaohs had gone into into the match as firm favourites despite being without their star player Mohamed Salah, who missed out through injury.
However, the seven-time Afcon champions were stunned by the Ethiopians at the Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe, Malawi, after two first-half goals by Dawa Hotessa Dukele and Shemeles Bekele sealed the three points for their national team.
According to KingFut, the historic victory marks the East Africans’ first triumph over Egypt since 1989, and the first time the 2021 Afcon runners-up have conceded two goals against the Ethiopians since 1962.
The North African giants now find themselves sitting bottom of Group D, while Ethiopia catapulted to the top of the standing, followed by Malawi and Guinea, who occupy second and third place, respectively.
It should be noted that all four teams are tied on three points after two matches, with goal difference separating the sides.
Following the Pharaohs’ shock defeat, the EFA were left in a state of panic after the match, with the federation holding an emergency meeting to discuss the result against Ethiopia, per KingFut.
It has since been rumoured that the association is considering already sacking manager Ehab Galal just two matches into his tenure.
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“We struggled in the first half. The rain helped Ethiopia to press us as our players struggled to get out with the ball from our half,” Galal said in a post-match press conference.
“We still haven’t applied our style of play yet. We will choose the players that suit our style in the future. The players did great work, but they need to understand what it means to play for Egypt
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