Ethiopia coach Wubetu Abate has blamed his team's inexperience for their 4-1 defeat at the hands of Cameroon at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations.
The Walias took an early lead at the Olembe Stadium on Thursday, courtesy of Dukele Hotessa's fourth-minute strike but they were overpowered by the Indomitable Lions.
Karl Toko Ekambi and Vincent Aboubakar scored two goals each to seal maximum points for Cameroon and their qualification for the Round of 16.
It was the second defeat for Ethiopia in the competition but the 43-year-old coach expressed satisfaction with his players’ performance as they continue learning.
"We did everything to put in a good match and a good performance against Cameroon,” Abate told the Caf’s website.
“We scored a goal early in the game but couldn't keep the score in our favour. We are learning in the big competitions.
"Experience has made the difference between us and the Cameroon team. Each match has its characteristics. The matches are different but we try to show our abilities and play good football."
Toko Ekambi’s first-half equaliser inspired Cameroon to turn the game around with three goals in the second 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, Cameroon coach Antonio Conceicao hailed his team’s resilience after the restart with assurance to improve on their positioning.
"We played a better second half with more rigour and concentration to seal the score and put up three more points,” Conceicao said.
“We played well offensively with several goalscoring chances in addition to the four goals scored.
“We didn't come close with positioning errors, but this will be corrected in our next matches to play better. Our objective is to win our matches and go as far as possible in the tournament."
