Ethiopia vs Senegal: Vieira's side chase first win in AFCON 2027 qualifying
On Tuesday, September 29, Ethiopia hosted Senegal in Bahir Dar for matchday two of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, with Patrick Vieira's Senegal seeking their first win after drawing with Mozambique.
The match in Bahir Dar
On Tuesday, September 29, Ethiopia and Senegal met in Group J's second matchday of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers. Flashscore refers to the venue as Bahir Dar International Stadium, while beIN Sports calls it Bahir Dar National Stadium.
According to VAVEL's live coverage, Senegal took the lead as early as the 10th minute through a goal from Mbaye, with a yellow card shown in the 18th minute. The sources available do not confirm the final score.
Background and matchday one
Both sides entered their second group game. Senegal had drawn 1-1 with Mozambique on matchday one, with Nicolas Jackson opening the scoring before Geny Catamo equalized just before halftime. Ethiopia, meanwhile, lost 0-1 away to Sudan, with Mohamed Eisa scoring the winner in the 86th minute. After round one, Sudan led Group J with three points, Senegal and Mozambique had one point each, and Ethiopia had none. The top two teams in the group advance directly to AFCON 2027, to be hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda — none of which are in this group.
Coach and squad
This was Patrick Vieira's second official match in charge of Senegal. Ahead of kickoff, he said he expected a difficult, complicated game and stressed the need to play with more intensity than against Mozambique in order to convert chances and secure all three points. Senegal's squad included a planned debut for defender Malang Sarr, who plays for Saudi club Neom and previously represented France at youth level before opting to play for Senegal. Veteran forward Sadio Mané was left out of the squad due to a physical issue.
Match statistics
According to BBC data, Senegal dominated possession, 67.8% to Ethiopia's 32.2%, and had more shots on target (2 to 0), even though Ethiopia registered more total shots (9 to 4). Two BBC sources differ slightly on passing figures: one lists 266 passes for Senegal at 88.3% accuracy, the other 268 passes at 88.1% accuracy, with Ethiopia credited with either 121 or 122 passes depending on the source.
Following the Ethiopia fixture, Senegal will play a friendly against Comoros on October 4 at the Stade Vélodrome in Marseille.
