KOMBE LA MATAIFA HURU YA AFRIKA-CAN; ETHIOPIA YATOKA SARE NA ZAMBIA. PIA NIGERIA NA BURKINAFASO WATOA SARE.

Zambia 1 Ethiopia 1: Holders held by 10-men... but keeper shown red while on a stretcher!

By Mike Collett, Reuters

Zambia's title defence started with a stutter after they wasted a 1-0 lead and missed a penalty against Ethiopia, who had their keeper Jemal Tassew sent off after just 37 minutes as they celebrated their first match in the tournament for 50 years.
Collins Mbesuma scored the opener for the 2012 winners after he raced onto a through ball, beating the defence and fired his half-volley into the bottom corner, but it was all-square when Ethiopia's captain Adane Girma found the net at the near post.
Bizarrely, Tassew saw red while being taken off on a stretcher, after haring out to the ball and flattening Zambia's Chisamba Lungu a full 40 yards from his goal.

Off: Ethiopia's keeper Jemal Tassew is carried off after receiving a red card for his outrageous foul

Belter: Zambia's Collins Mbesuma (green) fires past Ethiopia keeper Zerihun Tadelle for the opener

Match Facts

 Zambia: Mweene, Nkausa, Himoonda, Sunzu, Musonda (Jacob Mulenga), Sinkala, Lungu, Chansa (Mukuka Mulenga), Kalaba, Mbesuma, Christopher Katongo (Mayuka).

Goal: Mbesuma 45
Ethiopia: Tassew, Bune, Elias, Hailu, Tesfaye, Bekele (Tadele), Megersa, Adane Girma, Teshome, Kebede (Hintsa), Said.
Goal: Girma 65
Red Card: Tassew 37

Tassew's sending off caused an 11-minute delay as the Group C match descended into near chaos with angry Ethiopian fans throwing bottles and vuvuzelas on to the pitch.
They were already upset after their key player Saladin Seid missed a penalty in the 25th minute having already been deprived of an earlier goal when the ball bounced over an open goal on the hard surface.
Ethiopia made a bright start to their first game in the finals for 31 years and midfielder Minyahile Teshone should have put them ahead after four minutes but somehow hooked a great chance over the crossbar.
In the 17th minute Zambia keeper Kennedy Mweene was caught out and the ball fell to Seid who found himself with an open goal but his hooked shot towards the gaping net bizarrely bounced over the bar