- Guinea beat Gambia 1-0
- They have closed in on a ticket to the last 16
- Gambia are winless after two games
Guinea beat Gambia by a solitary goal in Yamoussoukro to raise their hopes of making the last 16 at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). Aguibou Camara’s second half goal made all the difference for the Sylli Nationale as they moved to second in the group with four points, two off leaders Senegal.
The two sides clash in the final match of the group and each will need just a point to confirm their place in the last 16.
Gambia on the other hand, must beat Cameroon in their last match and hope other results go their way for them to squeeze in as one of the best placed number three teams.
Guinea dominated much of the game and had a close chance in the 33rd minute, but Mohamed Bayo’s well struck shot from the edge of the area came off the upright.
Bayo also had another chance with a header from a cross on the left, but it flew straight to the keeper.
They finally got their goal in the 69th minute, some brilliant play seeing Morgan Guilavogui slap in a low cross from the right and Camara stretching a boot to direct it beyond the keeper.
They should have been 2-0 after 74 minutes but Bayo was denied by the woodwork once again when he lifted the ball over the keeper from Guilavogui’s cross.
Guinea saved by VAR
Guinea players training in Ivory Coast
Gambia thought they had equalized 10 minutes to time when Yankubah Minteh squeezed the ball home from a tight angle, but the goal was ruled out for offside.
Guinea coach Kaba Diawara was elated with the win, terming it as sweet revenge after they were beaten by Gambia in Cameroon in 2021.
“This victory is payback for that previous loss which was so hard to take. Winning is more important because it shows we’ve improved over two years and worked hard to get better,” Diawara said after the match.
He added; “What didn’t go well early on was our lack of efficiency, but after changes, things improved. Creating chances is the hard part, now we just need to finish them off, and that will come in time.”
The tactician has now switched his focus to their last match against Senegal, which they hope to win and cement their place in the last 16.
“Facing Senegal will be the group’s biggest game and we’re aiming to beat the champions, not just play them. With four points already, we’re targeting top spot and trying to qualify in first place from the group,” said the coach.
Gambia under pressure
Gambia players warm up before their first match. PHOTO/CAF
Meanwhile, Gambia’s Tom Saintfeit has refused to give up despite back to back losses and insists his side will give their all in their final match and see the outcome.
Looking back at the match, the tactician rued mistakes at crucial points of the game.
“In the first half Guinea were stronger but in the second period we raised our level more. I’ll stay positive because we did it against a difficult, quality team like Guinea,” the coach said.
He adds; “The goal against us was unexpected. I thanked the players because I can’t speak negatively about the team I lead. We’re still alive, the situation just got more complicated. We can still qualify with three points in our next game, said the coach.
The Scorpions will take on Cameroon in their final match in what will be a do or die duel.
“We have not scored so far in the tournament and we need to do that. We have to do better in attack,” said the coach.
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