It was a dominant performance from start to finish and was described by many as the best performance of any Gambian football team at any level for a very long time.
Though the intensity dropped a little in the second period, it was a solid first half of sustained pressure from Omar Sise’s U-20 team, characterised by determination, desire, zeal and the gut to attack.
In the end, it took a 42nd minute headed effort from Real de Banjul’s Pa Omar Jobe to settle this first leg encounter but the scoreline didn’t reflect Gambia’s dominance in this game. Such was their dominance that the Young Scorpions could’ve scored a minimum of five goals in the first half alone but in the end, they were hard done by their own profligacy in front of goal or the sharp goalkeeping of the Moroccan stopper, who made three world class saves in the second half alone to keep the scoreline at 1-0.
The return leg of this encounter would be played three weeks from now on June 12 at the Fus de Rabat Stadium in Rabat with kickoff set for 10pm local time.
Speaking in a post match interview with Observer Sports Omar Sise, the Young Scorpions Coach said, “I am very happy and I thank God for the victory and I am going to prepare for my the return leg in Morocco.”
The Young Scorpions, who had defeated Sierra Leone 4-0 on aggregate in the preliminaries, are on an unbeaten run since Omar Sise took over the reins, stretching over seven months. They have also won three games on the bounce since the qualifiers began.
He said his boys worked very hard for their success, noting that they are very discipline and listen to instructions. “We worked hard to prepare the boys for this game and our aim was to score more goals but we are not playing against a small team,” Sise emphasised.
Many are hopeful that with Saturday’s performance, the boys can make it to the tournament proper in Zambia next year, but Sise said their immediate priority lies in the return leg where they hope to win and put back smiles on the faces of Gambian fans.
Mark Wotte, the Moroccan Coach, who admitted that the Gambians outplayed his side in the game, said the return leg would be very interesting for both sides, noting that they would make amends for their terrible showing in Banjul.
“I am hopeful that the experience in the first leg would help my side win the return leg in Rabat,” he said, adding that Real Madrid’s Achraff Hakimi, as well as a couple of players in AC Milan and Borussia Dortmund, who missed the first leg in Banjul, would be available for the decider in Rabat.
Saturday’s goal was Pa Omar Jobe’s second in three games in this qualifiers having also scored in the 2-0 home win over Sierra Leone last month.
Speaking in an Observer Sports post-match interview, the goal poacher said he was a proud man, promising to continue scoring for the country. He said the goal came as a result of team work and thanked the technical team for the guidance and support to the players.
by Alieu Ceesay
