Ethiopia Bunna came out victorious in the Sheger Derby after they pip arch rivals Kidus Giorgis 1-0 in the week 8 game played at Addis Ababa Stadium.
The Addis Ababa Stadium was full to the brim with Bunna and Giorgis fans turned out in number to cheer for the clubs. Nigerian center back Eko Favour scored the lone goal of the duel in the first interval.
Ethiopia Bunna were the better side in the first 45. They have tested Kidus Giorgis’s backline multiple times. The one time Ethiopian Premier League champions tried to open the scoring through Yabeun William, Gatoch Panom and Elias Mamo. All of the goal attempts were off target as they sailed wide of the cross bar. Eko Favour broke the deadlock in the 26th minute through a header to beat Kidus Giorgis Ugandan custodian Robert Odongkara. With a goal down the Horsemen take the initiative to level matters before the end of the half. Salahdin Said came close to equalize four minutes from time but his header was easily collected by Beninese goalie Hariston Hessou.
The second half began right after a moment of silence was observed for the late Ethiopian running legend Miruts Yifter, who happened to be laid to rest today. Kidus Giorgis pushed for an equalizer while Ethiopia Bunn stood firm to protect their slander lead. Salahdin and Adane Girma squandered few goal scoring chances.
Ethiopia Bunna managed to grab maximum points to stay four points behind the record Ethiopian champions Kidus Giorgis. With the Sheger Derby loss Kidus Giorgis slipped to third with 14 points. Ethiopia Bunna players and technical staff were seen in a wild celebration following their derby victory.
Match Reaction
Ethiopia Bunna Head Coach Nebojša Vučićević
“We have played against a big team. We didn’t play well today. It was just a fighting day and we couldn’t show a beautiful football. My supporters are very happy. We are happy that we have won today. The points were very important for us. I want to thank the supporters and I want to see a scene like this.”
Kidus Giorgis Head Coach Martinus Ignatius Nooji
“I think particularly in the first half we didn’t play our normal game. Sometimes as a coach you get surprised by your own players. Those players who played very good game last week were not playing good today. We have talked to them and even I was very angry with them. In the second half it was very difficult. The opponents were going back to defend their box. Players went down a lot to waste time. Even in the second half we have three good chances to score a goal. Over all I am sad with the score.”
