The Gambia U-20 team Saturday thumped shooting stars of Sierra Leone 4-1 in the Africa U-20 championship qualifier held at the Independence Stadium in Bakau.
The Gambian team made a cagey commencement to the clash with a handful of miscued passes and defensive laxity which handed their Sierra Leonean adversaries command and control of proceedings for long spells in the first half.
Omar Jassey, better known as waterman, hit back for The Gambia six minutes after as he made a striding sprint down the left flank and dribbled past their opponent’s rear-guard only to place his shot over the bar. Ebrima Camara piled on the pressure with a decent goal-scoring chance in the 15th minute at close measure only to see his labored effort deviate off the mark whilst Alassan Camara’s sizzling shot was tipped away in the 24th minute.
Donald Wilson of Sierra Leone latched onto a defensive laxity and wafted his way through the rear-guard past two defenders and The Gambia guard-man. Musa Camara was none the wiser what direction to take a swing at the ball as he stashed it at the back of the net.
Ebrahim Kallay had a chance to double the lead for Sierra Leone nine minutes later as a string of passes got him teed up deep in the penalty box but he blasted off the target.
Mamut Saine sprang to The Gambia’s rescue and hauled them back on level terms in the 45th minute on the dot with a scorching low-shot that rattled the net, prompting wild celebration in the stands.
The second half witnessed better play from The Gambia as they regrouped and looked to take advantage of the substantial home support at their disposal which saw the manufacturing of an opportunity in the 52nd minute when Omar Jassey unleashed a powerful shot which was deflected for a corner.
Alagie Sarr soon switched tactics with the introduction of forward players like Buba Jallow alias Meles and Mustapha Jatta presumably with a view to scoring more goals to bolster their chances of winning the tie.
Coach Alagie Sarr reaped immediate benefits from his tactical detour as Buba Jallow tapped across into the net 22 minutes into the second half.
Donald Wilson roared into action again with some sense of urgency and managed to wriggle his way into the nether regions of The Gambian half in another bout of defensive inertia but his miscued shot went out for a throw.
Alassan Camara was set up at a short distance from the target through a cross from the industrious Mustapha Jatta which he shoved at the back of the net with minimum effort.
Buba Jallow hugged a brace in one of his better performances for The Gambia and poured more misery on the shooting stars of Sierra Leone thanks to a goal in the 93th minute which all but sealed and delivered a 4-1 triumph for The Gambia U-20 in the encounter of a two-legged tie.
The Gambia U-20 gaffer, Lamin Sarr declared his delight over the victory and noted that it was a satisfactory outcome considering the fact that The Gambia had late preparations.
He added that the desire of Gambians to qualify for the competition and make an indelible mark was not lost on him as he pledged to do everything possible to bring such aspirations to fruition.
“I know what Gambians want and I will do everything I can to make that possible by the grace of God,” he said.
Mr. Sarr also revealed that the task ahead of him and the team is not a rudimentary undertaking, tossing into perspective the reality that they have three more matches to play, the outcome of which will decide whether they would qualify or not.
On a more optimistic note, he said that they can work on the shortcoming of the team and prepare it well for the hostilities awaiting them in the subsequent games with the help of senior squad tactician, Paul Put.
“I am very thankful to Paul Put for his assistance. He has helped me a lot in my work a lot to make this victory possible. He is a great coach and I can never forget him for the rest of my life,” he asserted.
Mr. Sarr finally thanked The Gambia Football Association under the stewardship of Seedy MB Kinteh for the trust and confidence reposed on him by appointing him the coach for the team with the clear-cut goal of qualifying them for the Africa U-20 championship to be held in Libya 2011.
Local Derby!
1 comment:
Congratulation Gambia.
Post a Comment