By: Bubacarr Fallaboweh
The Gambia edged South Sudan and put a front foot in securing a back-to-back qualification berth in the African Nations Cup.
Ablie Jallow thought he gave the Scorpions the winner, only for Daniel Habibo to score the equalizer for the Bright Stars. The winner came from Hamza Barry, who deserves to be in the African Cup of Nations.
Jesper Ceesay and Alieu Fadera were ruled out, while Omar Colley played through the pain because of an injury. Tom deployed an attacking balanced team. But pundits will agree that Hamza Barry could have replaced either Sulayman Marreh or Ebou Adams in the starting XI. When Sulayman Marreh was withdrawn, Sainey Njie should have replaced him to provide the block and energy.
Assan’s goal drought, down to Tom Saintfiet fielding him but not giving him the system to operate, shows that Ali Sowe is needed in this setup. Going into the South Sudan game, Badamoesi should have started and drilled the Sudanese Centre-Back before Assan came to finish them up.
5/10 Baboucarr Gaye
Gaye was called to action twice when a strike from Valentino hit the Woodwork, Gaye was caught, and Achol’s effort went straight to him. He came out with Omar Colley, with the latter heading the ball. The equalizer for 2-2. Poor decision-making could have been costly hadn’t Hamza Barry scored the winner.
7/10 James Gomez’s good clearances, covering, and reading of the opponents were solid.
5/10 Omar Colley, when players arrive at camp late and don’t train in the required sessions, it reflects on their performances; the duel where the goal came from was shoulder to shoulder, with the captain’s only option being to clear the ball for a throw because Muhammed was already beaten. A small build-up play from the back compared to South Sudan’s approach, as they kept building from the back.
7/10 Muhammed Sanneh made good recoveries despite been beating in some duels. More alerted in the 2nd half, and his interception became accurate. His only cross could have been better than when he is deployed running down the wing. The first 20 minutes were sloppy, but he showed credentials to be a contender. The hunger and determination were there for Muhammed.
7/10 Ibou Touray delivered well-architected crosses in a decent game defensively and offensively and was involved in the third goal.
7/10 Ebou Adams is meant for games like South Sudan. His positioning around the circle was perfect; he recovered and equally distributed passes. He switched flanks on several occasions. When the Gambia was in possession, he unlocked the spaces in the future. You could see he was out for a while; otherwise, he could have delivered more than in Ismaila. He also gave away two dangerous balls.
6/10 Sulayman Marreh is quick, often releasing the ball and giving forward passes. He was always aware of his surrounding.
7/10 Ebrima Colley utilized his speed, was good on 1v 1 created 98% of the corners, which could have been a promising avenue for set pieces. He wasn’t selfish with the second balls, as he always passed. He got more involved in the first 15 minutes after the break.
6/10 Musa Barrow had some clear chances, one coming in the 14th minute, which was a far wide corner, and five minutes later, Ablie Jallow gave him an off-target pass. Known for his shooting, he plays more as an individual than a team player. Musa created his chances and took them.
9/10 Ablie Jallow was doing those forward runs with his intelligence and intercepted one ball in the first half. He drove into the box to set up Assan Ceesay, but Ceesay arrived late. He delivered good passes and switched play. Finally, he restored Gambia’s lead with a sublime goal, coming from a corner after a short one between Ebrima Colley and Muhammed Sanneh.
5/10 Assan Ceesay’s product remained to be desired; therefore, he should explore the options available. He worked up his socks in charging up and down and had five passes with 0 key passes. They didn’t have an impact on the game.
Substitutions
Ebrima Colley out Hamza Barry 7/10. They Added quality and game intelligence and provided more bodies going up—a great moment for him to score that winner. The conclusion of the upcoming preseason will put him in shape after a long injury.
Assan Ceesay Out Mohammed Badamoesi in. 6/10 Helped in tracking back and putting pressure on his physical strength.
Sulayman Marreh out Bubacarr Sanneh in – 5/10. This is Buba Sanneh’s first failure to start a game for the Scorpions. His introduction was a defensive move. But his pace was exposed.
