Ethiopia scored six past Djibouti to register their first win in Group A of 2026 FIFA World Cup in El Jadida, Morocco. Abubaker Nassir and Bereket Desta bagged hat-tricks in an eventful game for the Waliyas.
Desta opened the scoring in the 19th minute after a good counter-attack from the home side. South Africa based Nassir struck twice in the space of three minutes as Ethiopia led 3-0 by halftime.
The Shoremen of the Red Sea piled on the pressure after the recess and were awarded with a goal through Samuel Akinbinu, marking goals in back-to-back World Cup qualifier matches for the Nigerian-born Djibouti forward. Any hope of a comeback quickly faded away as Desta and Nassir scored to put Ethiopia further ahead. Desta struck the last goal from the spot 20 minutes before full time.
Both Nassir and Desta celebrated their hat-tricks as they became the first Ethiopian players to score three goals in an international game since 2017. The last Ethiopian to score a hat-trick was Getaneh Kebede.
The win took Ethiopia above Guinea-Bissau in Group A as they sit fourth with six points. Another defeat leaves Djibouti bottom with a single point.
Group A Table
GP | Points | |
Egypt | 5 | 13 |
Burkina Faso | 6 | 11 |
Sierra Leone | 5 | 8 |
Ethiopia | 6 | 6 |
Guinea-Bissau | 6 | 6 |
Djibouti | 6 | 1 |
The group winner qualifies for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Four of the nine group runners-up qualify for a playoff to determine Africa's representative at the intercontinental qualifying playoff.
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