By Aja Beyai
Senegal’s U23 side completed a double over The Gambia U20 following a 2-1 victory in the second international friendly test match played today at the Léopold Sédar Senghor Stadium in Dakar.
The result comes just 48 hours after the Young Lions of Teranga beat the Young Scorpions 3-1 in the first leg on Saturday, October 3, in the same venue.
The Gambia, who are using the two matches as part of preparations for the upcoming U20 WAFU A qualifiers taking place in Mali, showed marked improvement from Saturday’s defeat, but once again failed to contain a sharp Senegalese attack.
Senegal U23 opened the scoring in the first half to take control of the game. The Gambia fought back strongly in the dying minutes of the first half and pulled one back through Francis Gomez to make it 2-1, setting up a tense finale, but the hosts held on to secure back-to-back wins.
Speaking after the match, Gambia U20 Head Coach Abdoulie Bojang said he was encouraged by his side’s progress despite the two defeats.
“Actually it’s a good game for us. These are friendly games that we try to improve,” Bojang told reporters.
“I can see that compared to the first game, the team has improved a lot in terms of keeping possession of the ball, the pressing and defending set pieces, though we conceded goals.”
Bojang added that the purpose of the Dakar trip was achieved.
“This is what we look forward to because it’s a friendly to see your mistakes and try to rectify them. I think the team did very well, I’m very well impressed with the performance today,” he said.
With the two friendly defeats, Gambia U20 will now return home to review their performance ahead of their competitive qualifiers in Mali, while Senegal U23 will take confidence from two straight wins against their neighbours.
The games are part of a busy October schedule for Senegal’s youth national teams, as announced by the Senegalese Football Federation.
