AFCON Qualifier Between Ivory Coast and Ethiopia Ends Rather Abruptly as Referee Falls Ill in 80th Minute

AFCON Qualifier Between Ivory Coast and Ethiopia Ends Rather Abruptly as Referee Falls Ill in 80th Minute

Akan Anwankwo
updated at April 12, 2023 at 7:41 PM
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- The AFCON 2022 qualifier between Cote d'Ivoire and Ethiopia ended in the 80th minute

- The center-referee could not continue to officiate the game after falling ill

- The Ivorian were leading the Walias by 3-1 and were handed all three points

- Both teams topped the group and booked their tickets in the tournament slated for Cameroon

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Cote d'Ivoire's final AFCON 2022 qualifier against Ethiopia ended in confusion as the center-referee fell ill in the 80th minute of the game.

The fourth official available was an Ivorian and the match had to be abandoned as all three points were awarded to the home team.

Wolves defender Willy Boly had put the Elephants ahead in the fifth minute as AC Milan's Franck Kessie made it 2-0 from a spot-kick in the 19th minute.

AFCON qualifier ends in confusion as referee collapses in 80th and no substitute is available
Cote d'Ivoire vs Ethiopia ended in confusion as center-referee collapses in 80th and no substitute is available. Photo by Issouf Sanogo
Source: Getty Images

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Getaneh Kebede pulled one back for Ethiopia in the 74thminute but restored the two-goal advantage two minutes later.

The unfortunate incident occurred during the match and the match could not go on as the Elephants took all the points.

However, Ethiopia joined Cote d'Ivoire in qualifying for the AFCON 2022 tournament slated for Cameroon after coming second in the group.

In the reverse fixture played last November, the Walias handed Patrice Beaumelle's side their only defeat in Group K by a 2-1 scoreline in Addis Ababa.

Cote d'Ivoire topped the group with 13 points from six matches including four wins and a draw.

Ethiopia came second with three wins and the same amount of losses but scored a remarkable ten goals to earns nine points.

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Meanwhile, Legit.ng had earlier reported that the Super Eagles of Nigeria had an easy 3-0 win over the Crocodiles of Lesotho in their final AFCON 2021 qualifying match at the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Lagos.

Gernot Rohr's men had already qualified for the tournament but played for pride as the Nigerian national team return to Lagos after more than two decades. Nigeria's first chance of the game came in the 80th minute when Samuel Chukwueze advanced Oghenekaro Etebo.

The Galatasaray man delivered a low rocket which left goalkeeper Sekhoane Moerane sprawling.

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Akan Anwankwo
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