Getaneh Kebede struck four times in each half as Ethiopia see off Djibouti 5-1 in the first round Total African Nations Championship (CHAN) qualifier. The Waliyas had no trouble hammering the neighboring East African minnows away from home.
Ethiopia suffered a 5-0 heavy defeat in their Total African Cup of Nations qualifier group opener duel against Ghana a month ago and coach Ashenafi Bekele opted to give the nod to defender Desta Yohannis, midfield duo Tafesse Solomon, Gadisa Mebrate and striker Abdulrahman Mubarak. Getaneh put Ethiopia ahead in the 35th minute before hitting hat-trick in the second interval. Defensive midfielder Mulualem Mesfin struck his first ever goal for Ethiopia as the visitors recorded an important win in their CHAN Qualifier opener.
Djibouti, who happened to win just once since 2007, beat South Sudan 2-0 in AfCON preliminary round qualifier back in March. They crashed out of the biennial tourney qualifier after they were thumped 6-0 in the return leg in Juba. The team since reinstated Tunisian coach Noureddine Gharsalli back but still results has been going in their way,
The return leg between Ethiopia and Djibouti will take place on Sunday, July 23 in Hawassa.
