BY: Elshadai Negash for Ethiosports.com

March 30, 2003
        Ethiopia have moved top of Group 2 in the African Nations Cup qualifiers after a narrow 1-0 win at home to Liberia in Addis Ababa on Sunday. Substitute Anteneh Feleke broke the deadlock with a trademark free kick ten minutes from time after Liberia's inspirational goalkeeper Boye Pratt
conceded an indirect free-kick just inside his own penalty area.

       The Lone Stars will be especially indebted to their inspirational goalkeeper Boye Pratt for keeping them in the match with a string of world-class saves including a second half penalty by Ethiopia's Andargachew Solomon.

       Cheered on by a capacity crowd of nearly 40,000 spectators, Ethiopia went on  the offensive right from the word go and nearly surprised their opponents when striker Ermias Kidanu was fouled inside the Liberian penalty as the early as the 45th second. But his strike partner Yordanos Abay wasted the free kick that sailed high above the Liberian goal.

        Liberia deployed a very solid defensive-minded setup to keep the Ethiopians  at arm's length, but had their moments after both teams begun to settle. In fact, it took a real moment of wasteful finishing to keep the Ethiopians from going a goal down as early as the fourth minute. Liberia's Henry Gobbah was sent clear by Edward Dixon, but his shot was too weak and goalkeeper
Wubshet Desalegn was equal to it.

       The Lone Stars continued to enjoy their brief spell in the match, while the  Ethiopians looked to smother the wave of attacks coming at them. Bill Neewray had a free-kick saved by Desalegn.

        However, the Ethiopians finished the half stronger especially with Ashenafi  Girma leading the way. The diminutive Ethiopian number Nine had a wonderful shot from outside the penalty area saved by Pratt. And it was his cross that set up Yordanos Abay with a chance at goal, but the Ethiopian Premier League top-goal scorer headed wide from seven yards.

        After the break, the Ethiopians continued to pile on the pressure in search  of that illusive goal, but it continued to elude them. However, it looked for a moment like their fortunes would be changed when the Djibouti referee spotted a handball infringement in the Liberian penalty area by Neewray.
After much consultation with his linesman, he pointed to the spot.

       But Pratt was equal to a spot kick by Andargachew Solomon. The outstanding goalkeeper also parried the rebound from Yordanos and finally smothered the final shot from Wakjira Anbesse.
Unaffected by the penalty miss, Ethiopia moved back on the offensive. They managed to put a couple beautiful passes together and the ball reached Kidanu on the edge of the penalty area. But he too was unlucky as he saw Pratt deflect his wonderful shot onto the bar for a corner kick.

       The Ethiopians by then fully realized that they needed something special to  beat Pratt, who was the difference between Ethiopia and a rugby scoreline.  And with fifteen minutes on the clock, Coach Jochen Figge sent on Mulualem Regassa and Anteneh Feleke in hope for a miracle, which is exactly what happened.

        With the match into the last ten minutes, Pratt made the uncharacteristic slip and conceded a free kick just outside his own penalty area. From the resulting free kick, Anteneh Feleke curled the ball past the goalkeeper to put Ethiopia in the lead. The home crowd erupted into ecstasy.

         Ethiopia had late chances to extend the lead, but the Pratt was again in  outstanding form as the East African made sure of the win that takes them top of Group 2 in the qualifiers.

         After the qualifiers, a delighted Ethiopian coach Jochen Figge said that the  three points were all that matter at the end. "We dominated the game and had very good chances to win by a bigger margin," he said. "But overall, it was a great performance and a fantastic character shown by the boys."