Ethiopia Football: Defence Force drops points, EEPCO climbs from relegation zone

Addis Ababa – Defence Force failed to take home field advantage when it was held to a scoreless tie by Sebeta City, while EEPCO continued its climb from the relegation zone with a 2-1 victory over Hawassa City here today reported Ermias Amare.

Defence Force could have gone to the top of the league with a victory today, but it failed to do so. Furthermore, Samuel Wuhib received his marching orders 35 minutes into the first half.

Meanwhile, EEPCO led 2-0 at half-time thanks to goals from Philip Dawuzi and Efrem Hadera. Hawassa’s consolation goal came from Ashenafi Adem.

With 7 weeks to go, four teams, namely Ethiopian Coffee (44pts), Dedebit FC (43pts), Defence Force (43pts) and St. George (43 pts), have emerged as top contenders for this year’s Ethiopian Premier League title.

Rank Teams Played Wins Draw Lost Diff GD Points
1 Ethiopian Coffee 23 12 8 3 41 – 25 16 44
2 Dedebit FC 23 13 4 6 47 – 22 25 43
3 Defence Force 23 12 7 4 41 – 25 16 43
4 Saint George 23 12 7 4 29 – 16 13 43
5 Sidama Coffee 23 8 13 2 24 – 14 10 37
6 Hawassa City FC 23 8 9 6 33 – 28 5 33
7 Harar Brewery FC 23 7 12 4 23 – 18 5 33
8 Mugher Cement 23 9 6 8 21 – 21 0 33
9 Dire Dawa City 23 8 5 10 22 – 30 -8 29
10 Adama City FC 23 7 7 9 22 – 33 -11 28
11 EEPCO FC 23 7 6 10 28 – 29 -1 27
12 Ethiopian Banks SC 23 6 8 9 24 – 29 -5 26
13 Trans Ethiopia 23 5 8 10 20 – 29 -9 23
14 Sebeta City 23 5 6 12 23 – 34 -11 21
15 Lideta Nyala 23 5 6 12 20 – 34 -14 21
16 Fincha Sugar 23 0 8 15 13 – 44 -31 8

League Table stats based on info obtained from Saint George FC’s website.