The Scorpions’ coach
By Landing Ceesay
The head coach of the Scorpions of the Gambia Tom Sanfiet in his post-match press conference said they are 100% sure of reaching the second round (Quarter Final) of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.
“We don’t have to believe that we are going to be African champions. We have to take it from game to game. We have to analyze Mali. I realistically would be very happy if we could take one point against Mali because we are 100% sure of reaching the second round (Quarter Final) as debutants and 150th in world rankings,” he said.
The Scorpions’ Coach said it is a fantastic feeling working with the Gambia national team players; saying the players keep on bringing miracles for the team.
“I am very proud of the team; we played against a strong opponent. Because for me Mauritania has a lot of football qualities, physical strength and they have an advantage of playing many tournaments. They have CHAN, they have AFCON, and they have the FIFA Arab Cup. We were not able to do that but with our tactical discipline, our determination and even in contact, I think we could have scored a second goal. But, I am so proud of this team. At the moment I am probably the happiest man on Earth,” Tom said.
The Gambian coach said his team is in a very interesting group in continental showpiece. He said Tunisia are termed the favourites, while Mali the second favourite, but still Gambia is in number spot of the group together with Mali.
“We are not the best, we had a good game. We would play bad games. We will win and we will lose games as well. So it is very important to stay modest to be realistic and take from game to game. Because I know if we are now thinking that, we are the King of Africa. Tomorrow we are totally down in football. So let’s take it game to game, and let’s enjoy the victory. We start working before the next match in the coming days and hopefully we can make Gambia again proud,” the Gambian gaffer said.
The scorpions defeated Mauritania 1-0 on Wednesday in their first ever AFCON game. Ablie Jallow scored the only goal of the game to give Tom Sanfiet’s team the much-needed 3 points in their AFCON 2021 opener.
The Scorpions will now play Mali on Sunday January 13, 2022, which will be a top of the table clash between the two West African giants.
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