Congo enjoyed a 4-3 victory over Ethiopia in Addis Ababa on Saturday afternoon, in the first leg of their 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying tie.
Deprived of several key players including Stade de Reims midfielder Prince Oniangué and SCO Angers striker Férébory Doré, Claude Leroy’s men proved up to the task during their tricky trip.
While Getaneh Kebede broke the deadlock for Ethiopia on 41 minutes, it took the visitors just two minutes to level through Granada hitman Thievy Bifouma.
Wydad Casablanca forward Fabrice Ondama doubled Congo’s lead past the hour mark, with Red Devils’ skipper Delvin Ndinga giving the visitors a two-goal cushion on 75 minutes.
It went from bad to worse for the Walya Antelopes when attacking midfielder Hardy Binguila hammered a fourth nail into their coffin with ten minutes to go, and while they managed to pull two late goals back through Dawit Fekadu and Shemeles Bekele, it was too little too late for the Ethiopians who will have to overturn their deficit in Brazzaville on Tuesday.
