ADDIS ABABA – For the first time in 11 matches the Ethiopian Premier League leaders Mekele Saba Inderta dropped two points following a 1-1 tie against the Wolwalo Adigrat University side on Sunday at Mekele international stadium.
Same venue, last week Mekele Saba Inderta extended their unbeaten run to ten with a comfortable 4-1 victory over the bottom side Dedebit. After the 1-1 tie Mekele remained on top of the table on 39 points from 17 games.
Well, Mekele are still in the driving seat with 11 unbeaten run. Last week their coach Gebremedhin Haile said that he will keep up this spirit for his side to win title in this season.
The newly appointed coach of Wolwalo Adigrat University Yohanes Sahile said that he expected victory in this match. “We had better ball possession. We also had better attempt to find the net but the huge pressure of the Mekele fans hampered us from getting the full three points with win,” Yohannes was quoted as saying after the match.
Mekele had 35 points from 15 games at the end of the first round. The win over Dedebit in the first game of the second round was indeed a morale boosting victory for the side.
Gebre’s campaign for the second title in a row with different sides has also been moving in a direction unseen in the past.
If Gebre succeeds to take title this season he will be the first coach to take title two times in a row with different sides.
Wolwalo Adigrat University are struggling for survival. The single point earned after a 1-1 tie on Sunday will help them keep their current position.
The 1-0 win of Sihul Shire over the visiting side Bahir Dar City was a good start to avoid the relegation zone. Last week Shire Sihul remained the second from the bottom with a 1-1 away tie with Wolayita Dicha on 12 points from 16 games. But the win helped them jump the ladder up on 15 points.
Bahir Dar city had a 1-0 win over St. George last week. That was the second win for Bahir Dar City this season. The first was earned in the first day match of the EPL at the Addis Ababa stadium.
Bahir Dar City joined the elite league at the start of this season along with South Police and Shire Sihul.
Hawassa City and Fasil City finished level at 2-2. Both sides are in mid-table.
On Friday, St. George beat Adama City by a slender 1-0 margin at the Addis Ababa stadium. The win helped them to be the far away third on 29 points from 17 games, 10 adrift of the league leaders Mekele.
This shows that catching up to the league leaders requires not only the win of St. George but the defeat of Mekele at the same time. If Mekele keep on the winning spree, whatever the result Saint George may get, closing in on the gap is impossible.
So far with 14 wins, St. George are the unrivalled record holders in the Ethiopian Premier League’s 22 years history. The others title winners are Electric and Hawassa City two times each, Coffee, Dedebit and Jima Abajifar took title once each. This time Mekele look the hopeful to take that share.
The games organizing body, the Ethiopian football Federation, EFF, is still working hard to avoid the crowed disturbances in and around the stadium. The good news is that in the last three weeks such disturbance has never happened here in the capital and in different venues.
If the past is any guide, disturbance occurs in an unexpected way. Nobody expected disturbance to take place during the fund raising matches at the Addis Ababa stadium between the fans of St. George and Coffee.
So the federation is sensitive about the issue of crowed disturbance. Due to this the focus is strengthening security forces where there is a football match.
Herald March 26/2019
BY SOLOMON BEKELE
