Satellites rout Ethiopia to reach final round of Africa Youth qualifiers
Ghana’s U-20 side the Black Satellites yesterday thrashed their Ethiopian counterparts 4-0 at the newly inaugurated Cape Coast Sports Stadium to qualify for the final round of the Africa Youth Championship qualifiers.
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The Satellites, who lost 1-2 in the first leg in Ethiopia, thus qualify on 5-2 aggregate. The match originally scheduled for Sunday was rained off and rescheduled for yesterday.
France-based midfielder,Yaw Yeboah secured a brace with Asante Kotoko’s striker Dauda Mohammed and Inter Allies midfield talent Evans Mensah scoring the other goals.
From the first to the last minutes of the game the Black Satellites gave their all as they thrilled the fans with some beautiful passing, and, therefore, it came as no surprise when skipper Yeboah smashed in the opener in the 6th minute leaving the Ethiopian goalie, Teklemarian Shango, completely bemused.
With a combination of skill and tenacity, the Satellites often left their opponents in their shadows and three minutes after their first goal Dauda came handy with the second goal.
The Satellites were in full control but missed some great chances which could have given them a cricket score by the end of the first half.
The Satellites continued their onslaught in the second half with Yeboah and Evans Mensah leading most of the attacks into the side of the Ethopians.
Yaw Yeboah — Scored two goals
Mensah's efforts paid off in the 57th minute when he put the ball beyond the reach of the Ethiopian goalkeeper to make it 3-0 for the rampaging Ghanaian side.
Yeboah sealed the win firmly with a brilliant free kick which sailed straight into the net to the delight of the fans.
In a post-match interview, skipper Yeboah said the team had built up their confidence for the match and had stuck to the tactical plan of the coach.
He urged Ghanaians to support and pray for the team to enable them to qualify and win the next Africa Youth Championship.
He said the team would correct all mistakes and work harder to win all matches ahead of them and bring the cup home.
Coach Mas-Ud-Didi Dramani said he would work to beef up the squad and make it a much better team for the matches ahead.