By: Alieu Ceesay
The Scorpions marked their long-awaited return to the Independence Stadium in Bakau with a 2–1 victory over Somalia in their opening AFCON 2027 qualifier with Ebrima Colley and Muhammad Badamoesi scoring for Gambia, while Bilal Njie netted Somalia’s only goal.
This match marked the first international fixture played on Gambian soil after five years of renovations at the Independence Stadium.
The atmosphere was electric, as Gambian fans, dressed in the national colours of red, white, blue, and green, flocked to the stadium. Some supporters arrived as early as 11 am, despite the scheduled kick-off at 16:30.
“It’s an exciting moment for me to return to the stadium. We won the game, but it was a tough one for us,” said Lamin Sarr, a Gambian supporter.
Sarr urged fans to be patient, adding that reopening the stadium for football places more pressure on the Scorpions as they aim for their first home victory.
“It was a nice match, but let the organisers stop selling tickets online prior to the game. During the match, they saw them selling tickets here at the stadium. Let them choose one method, either online only or physical, as it’s confusing,” said Lamin Sallah.
For Lessa, the reopening of the stadium is more than just a cause for celebration. “It’s a joyful moment for us because we haven’t watched a match here in a long time. Now, it will be a win for us,” she said.
“It was a poor performance from the boys; there was no urgency, and they could have scored more goals. The formation was also wrong, but Alhamdulillah, we won,” remarked Ebrima, one of the fans, to TAT.
