Ethiopia leaves a mark in return to African Cup

Two goalkeepers were sent off, the team's federation was fined because of misbehaving fans and it scored its first tournament goal in 37 years in a surprising draw with defending champion Zambia.

Ethiopia was a win away from advancing to the quarterfinals but allowed two late goals against Nigeria in its final Group C match on Tuesday to finish last.

The northeastern African country ended its participation with one point and scored only one goal, but it still made an impression.

"We were happy to be here," Ethiopia coach Sewnet Bishaw said. "What we are going to do now is learn from our mistakes and try to be one of the best teams in Africa in the coming years."

Ethiopia won the African Cup in 1962 but hadn't played in the tournament since 1982. The team arrived in South Africa with few expectations and players admitted they were just looking to gain some experience.

But after the surprising 1-1 draw with defending champion Zambia in the opener, there were hopes that Ethiopia could eventually move past the group stage. The goal was Ethiopia's first in the tournament in 37 years.

Ethiopia also played well against Burkina Faso until its top players — Asrat Megersa and Adane Girma — had to leave because of injuries, eventually leading to a 4-0 loss. A victory over Nigeria could have still been enough, and Ethiopia was in contention until allowing the two late goals in the 80th and 90th minutes.

"Our main problem is experience. We tried to beat Nigeria and reach the quarterfinals, but unfortunately Nigeria was a better team, they are highly experienced," Sewnet said.