Non-league defender and driving instructor starred in the team that recently secured Somalia’s first
World Cup qualifying win
A hot night in Djibouti City, 5 September, and Mohamud Ali is in disbelief at having just written himself into Somalian history. The former £50-a-day factory worker was man of the match as his nation beat Zimbabwe 1-0 to record a first World Cup qualifier win. Ali is thousands of miles away from his home in Manchester, where he plays as a central defender for Curzon Ashton of the National League North and his day job is a driving instructor. But now the 25-year-old is a bona fide national hero.
Because of the political instability in Somalia, the Ocean Stars had to play the “home” leg of this Qatar World Cup 2022 first-round qualifier in neighbouring Djibouti’s El Hadj Hassan Gouled Aptidon Stadium. The match was level until the 87th minute when Ahmed Ali, Mohamud’s brother and Somalia’s captain, floated a cross from the left and Anwar Shakunda headed past Elvis Chipezeze.