SENEGAL SHOW SUPERIOR PERFORMANCE TO MAINTAIN DOMINANCE OVER THE GAMBIA
Playing in front of home supporters, Senegal once again proved that they are unmatched against the Scorpions of The Gambia as they showed a superior performance to defeat the visitors 3-1 at Stade Abdoulaye Wadé in Diamniadio. Just as expected, the host first took the lead in the first half stoppages after the Scorpions initially appeared defiant. It was the unlikeliest of scorers, centre-back Abdoulaye Seck, Senegal's captain for the night, who glanced home a free header after a corner from El-Hadji Malick Diouf. Within a moment of his introduction after the break, the PSG starlet Ibrahim Mbaye doubled Senegal's lead after a clever pass from Ismaila Sarr in the 47th minute. At that moment, it looked more like a desperate moment for the Scorpions, but veteran captain Omar Colley restored a bit of confidence as he nodded home a Yankuba Minteh's corner from a tight angle to make it 2-1. But when coach Pape Thiaw reverted to his bench, that certainly means an increase in Senegal's hunger for victory and substitute Lamine Camara sealed a deserved 3-1 win for the holders of the AFCON crown.This might be a game against a side [The Gambia] ranked 116 as opposed to Senegal who are ranked 12, but Senegal perhaps knew that given the proximity, the Scorpions would give their best in the clash to try to put their dominance to an end, maybe the more reason they opted to play against the Scorpions. It could also be looked at as a way of presenting their AFCON trophy to their neighbours, The Gambia, a way of strengthening the relationship between the two countries. Either way, the bigger focus was on the 90 minutes for the night. Stade Abdoulaye Wadé wasn't full, but Senegal has a greater number of supporters on the stands, and a decent number of Scorpions supporters took the six-hour journey to cheer their players too. Despite the rift between them and the Confederation of African Football, who now declared Morocco as winners of the AFCON on "disciplinary" grounds after Senegal protested against a penalty decision in the final and left the pitch before coming back to continue playing and ended up winning 1-0 against Morocco. Nicholas Jackson started his football in the Gambian First Division League before moving to Senegal Senegal who took the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sports to maintain their status as champions, paraded their AFCON trophy before the Senegalese and Gambian supporters inside the stadium. As a way of showing respect for that achievement, the visiting supporters cheered them as they walked around with what will be their second AFCON title provided that their appeal is successful. And when the 33-year-old Mauritanian referee Abdul Aziz Bouh blew for the kick-off, the host quickly got out of the block and tried to press with high intensity. In the process, both Assan Diao and Abdoulaye Seck had their efforts ricochet off the goal post and Gambia's goalkeeper Baboucarr Gaye was forced into some saves.On the other hand, the Scorpions, who were very disciplined, were focused on trying to establish themselves in the game. Aside from the obvious threat of Brighton's Yankuba Minteh, who was a cause for concern for Senegal's defence with his accelerating pace, nothing much was seen of the Scorpions' side. Their best chance in the first half fell to Abdoulie Manneh who hit straight at the goalkeeper after a brilliant loop pass from Abubakr Barry. But when the Scorpions supporters thought they had held the AFCON champions to a stalemate draw at halftime, their team's inability to defeat a set-piece was again exposed as Seck ran without any disturbance through Gambia's defence and beat Baboucarr Gaye with a header for the breakthrough goal. Straight after the restart, Senegal's coach Pape Thiaw, who started the game largely with second-choice players, introduced Dieng, Mbaye and Mendy to the game. Those substitutions paid off immediately as Ibrahim Mbaye left the Gambia's goalkeeper helpless with a one-touch finish after the mesmeric Ismaila Sarr squared off a pass to his path in the box. At that moment, hopes for a comeback started dashing. If it were a home game, some fans might start leaving for fear of more goals. But captain Omar Colley gave a moment to the Scorpions supporters to celebrate as he scored a header in the 51st minute to become the first Scorpions player to score a goal at the gigantic Abdoulaye Wadé stadium. Omar Colley is the most experienced player in this Gambian side. Even with the introduction of more players, coach Jonathan McKinstry and his players were not able to salvage a draw.Instead, it was the AS Monaco midfielder Lamin Camara who came on from the bench to seal a deserved 3-1 victory for the host as he rebounded home from close range after a save by Baboucarr Gaye in the stoppage time. This was the young lad's third goal in two games against the Gambia at this level. Aside from the overly ambitious supporters, not many were expecting a victory for the Scorpions against a nation they've been struggling to beat across all categories in football, including at the school level. The focus with this largely inexperienced squad could only be on preparing the team ahead of the next AFCON qualifiers.This score for a football writer, is not any embarrassing. The question should be, how is Senegal steadily becoming a powerhouse in African football, a development that is cutting across all cadres of their football. Does it have to do with good administration, heavy investment or their close ties with teams and academies in France? Perhaps we will be back here another time to look at things that The Gambia could learn from Senegal to be able to attain new heights in football. For the Lions of Teranga, this was another justification that they are no match for The Gambia on the pitch, having defeated them 3-0 on January 15 2024, in the Ivory Coast AFCON. The African champions are not taking any chances heading into the World Cup. They were on the back of a 2-0 victory over Peru, and now that they have added another morale booster ahead of the global showpiece.
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