Ethiopia had a man sent off in the 12th minute as they opened their account at AFCON with a 1-0 loss to Cape Verde.
By Kehinde Okeowo
Cape Verde beat 10-man Ethiopia, who lost defender Yared Bayeh with just 12 minutes gone, to earn their second win in the African Cup of Nations (AFCON).
Ethiopia faced an uphill battle after Bayeh, who was initially given a yellow card was eventually dismissed by the referee after he upgraded his card to a red following a VAR review of his tackle on Tavares.
Teklemariam Shanko produced a brilliant save to claw the ball to safety after Ethiopia defender Mignot Debebe diverted a cross towards his own goal to keep his side in the contest.
ALSO READ: Aboubakar scores brace as Cameroon rally to beat Burkina Faso 2-1
But Cape Verde made their extra man count late in the first half as Saudi-based striker Julio Tavares nodded in from close range after Garry Rodrigues provided him with an assist.
Shanko was in an inspired form and continued to keep his team in the game after a string of stops to prevent Cape Verde from doubling their advantage, but the Ethiopians offered little going forward.
The Walias after their loss to Cape Verde looked set for an early exit with games to come against Cameroon and Burkina Faso, who are the favourites to progress from the group.
