South Africans will certainly now rate Ethiopian football highly due to striker Abubeker Nasir’s brilliance for Mamelodi Sundowns, leading Ethiopian media outlets say.
EthioFooty website made such a bold claim after Nasir’s moment of glory when he stepped off the bench to score the second goal, as Sundowns saw off Tshwane rivals SuperSport United 2-0 in the MTN8 quarterfinal match on Sunday.
“South Africans will never look at Ethiopian football the same after Abubeker Nassir graces their pitches. They’ll be watching Ethiopia’s top league (#BKEthPL) on @SuperSportTV more closely. They won’t want to miss the next Abubeker Nasir,” EthioFooty tweeted on Sunday.
Another website Blue Nile Sport also joined the celebration for the Ethiopian international’s goal coming after he also scored for Sundowns when they beat Kaizer Chiefs 4-0 weeks ago.
“Ethiopia’s Star Boy and @Masandawana new arrival, Abubeker Nasir (Abuki) , has 2 Goals in 52 min of game play so far this season. The forward had an average of 0.83 Gp90 in #BKEthPL before his move to #DstvPrem. The SKY IS THE LIMIT!,” the website tweeted.
In Sunday’s quarterfinal match, Nasir swept a low cross into the net from close range in the box after findings pace between SuperSport two defenders on the stroke of full-time.
The quarterfinal stage proved to be a show of new signings for Sundowns, as they had gone ahead through a goal from Chilean Marcelo Allende in the 80th minute at Tuks Stadium.
Sundowns have since joined Kaizer Chiefs, Orlando Pirates and AmaZulu in the semifinal of the MTN8. Chiefs saw off Stellenbosch, AmaZulu beat Cape Town City, whereas Orlando Pirates proved too smart over Royal AM.
The 21-year-old forward is the second Ethiopian to grace the fields of South African football after Tefera Fikru, who played for clubs such as Orlando Pirates and SuperSport United.
