Vuvuzelas fly as Ethiopia holds champion Zambia

Ten-man Ethiopia celebrated its return to the African Cup of Nations by holding defending champion Zambia to a 1-1 draw in a Group C opener that featured a missed penalty and vuvuzelas thrown onto the field.

Ethiopia last featured at the continental showpiece back in 1982, and was buoyed by the presence of around 10,000 fans at the Mbombela Stadium who showed both their best and worst sides over an entertaining 90 minutes.

Supporters hurled vuvuzelas and other debris onto the pitch in anger after the first-half sending off of Ethiopia goalkeeper Jemal Tassew, causing an eight-minute delay to the match and forcing riot police to be deployed.

However, their anger turned to unbridled joy when Adane Girma's 65th-minute strike canceled out Collins Mbesuma's opener.

Ethiopia controlled play for much of the first half, with Saladin Seida shaving the crossbar with a clever chip and then missing a penalty in the 25th minute.

The dismissal of Tassew following a dangerous challenge on Chisamba Lungu helped Zambia take control, though, and Mbesuma capitalized in first-half injury time following a clever flick-on by Isaac Chansa.

However, Ethiopia regrouped at halftime and were rewarded for a disciplined second-half showing when Seida's layoff allowed Girma to fire home.

The result was a major setback for Zambia, which stunned the continent by claiming a maiden African crown in Gabon 12 months ago but wasted several build-ups with wayward long-range shots.

- AP
Photo: Armando Franca