Gambian students in Turkey on Saturday defeated their counterparts from Iraq with a crushing 4-1 win in the International Students’ World Cup Tournament 2016 in the Turkish capital of Ankara. Lamin Dibba scored a hat-trick in Saturday’s 4-1 thrashing.
The competition is organised by the Turkish Prime Abroad and Related Communities Directorate, (T.C Yurtdışı Türkler ve Akraba Topluluklar Başkanlığı, Uluslararası öğrenciler Dünya kupası). The aim of the competition is to foster mutual understanding and togetherness among international students residing in Turkey.
Lamin Dibba scored the opener for The Gambia after 10 minutes and added a second passed the 20-minute mark to double his side’s advantage. Substitute Yahya Sonko added a third in the second half before passing the baton to Dibba to complete his hat-trick in stoppage time.
Speaking in an interview after the game, Modou Beyai, the Gambian captain expressed happiness and satisfaction over the performance of his mates during the match. “I’m really happy about our performance in the match, even though we were only informed about the game at the last 24-hours,” Beyai said.
Malick Jallow, coach and coordinator of the Gambian team said: “Am overwhelmed about the performance of my footballers and more so, for the sense of understanding displayed in the pitch. This earned us the victory.”
Defeating a team like Iraq is a great boost for The Gambia in this tournament, said Babacarr Fatty, a technical adviser to the team, adding “Despite the size of our country, we can do more in varieties of activities.”
Adviser Fatty stated that, what is most amazing about the game was the sense of discipline and professionalism displayed by his players in the pitch towards their counterparts. He encouraged the team to always keep up the spirit of winning and professionalism. “I have trust on my team,” he said.
by Yaya B. Baldeh in Ankara, Turkey