The Young Scorpions concluded their preparations for the return leg of the African Youth Championship qualifiers with a comprehensive 4-0 defeat of Steve Biko in a friendly on Saturday.
Omar Sise’s charges took to the field for the late night game after the Scorpions were battered by Bafana Bafana but despite that disappointment, many fans stayed behind to watch the game with the estimated 10,000 capacity Covered Pavilion filled to its rafters.
It didn’t take the Young Scorpions long to open the scorings when Bun Sanneh stabbed home into an empty net following some horrendous defending by Biko. Moments later, Pa Omar Jobe, scorer of the only goal in the 1-0 first leg win over Morocco, hit a delightful volley into the roof of the net for a 2-0 lead.
Just before the break, it was the turn of Captain Ablie Jalllow to score for a 3-0 halftime lead. The diminutive forward dinked his way past several challenges before he toe-poked home a delightful onetime finish, making scoring look so simple. Defender Hamidou Bojang added a fourth after the break to complete the comprehensive win.
The Young Scorpions were set to leave Banjul for Rabat early this morning where they would play the hosts on June 12 for a place in the third and final round of qualifiers. Leading 1-0 from the first, The Gambia only needs to avoid defeat to be assured of a place in the next stage of the qualifiers. Kickoff is at 8:45pm Gambian time.
Speaking in a post-match interview, Omar Sise the U-20 Coach pleaded for the prayers of everyone, while reaffirming his commitment to bringing smiles to the faces of the Gambian people. He said the strategy going into the return leg is to secure a place in the next round.
Sise, whose team could’ve finished the job in Banjul if not for their profligacy in front of goal, said the reason for scoring four goals on Saturday was because they had spent the next few days training on improving their goal scoring.
Team spokesperson Pa Omar Babou said the team is in the right state of mind to complete the job in Rabat. He also hailed the camaraderie in the dressing room.
by Baboucarr Camara