The Gambia’s Scorpions were held at home to a one all draw by the Wild Beasts of The Central African Republic on Friday afternoon, 23rd March 2018.
The game, which kicked-off at the Independence stadium in Bakau ended with both teams sharing the spoils. However, contrary to the pre-match fears of low spectator turn out to the game in Bakau, the fans actually turned out in large numbers. And I fact this time the team even had a new supporter-in-chief, in the country’s First Lady, Madam Fatou Bah Barrow, who stole the show in a sporty red Scorpion jersey with a ‘Gambia’ adorned baseball cap.
Flanked by the Gambia’s Minister of Youths and Sports, Mr Henry Gomez and Gambia Football Federation’s President, Mr Lamin Kabba Bajo, Madam Barrrow refused to be a mare spectator by getting involved in the fan fare with her own Gambia national flag, which she waved around in the VIP section of the national arena like any ordinary fan, which was a beauty to see, and at one point, she stood up to wave the flag high as called for a second goal, after the scorpions went ahead in the 59th minute through the Switzerland based Assan Ceesay from a penalty spot, following a foul on another Swiss-based Gambian player, Pa Modou Jagne , commonly known as Nda, who was brought down in the box after collecting a through pass from the in-form Reading winger, Modou Barrow and the Senegalese referee, Essa Sey did not hesitate to award the spot kick.
Ceesay, who is enjoying a good season in the Swiss Challenge league with FC Chiasso, for whom he has bagged 12 goals in all competitions this term, stepped-up to give the scorpions a deserved lead. And The team held on for 15 mins, and may be deserved to be ahead at that point , having created some good goalscoring opportunities which they failed to take. And those missed chances came to haunt them when Kethevoama Foxi restored parity with a 75th minute equaliser to end the game in a disappointing stalemate. Although the home side continued their search for a winner with a late onslaught but failed in their efforts with the game ending 1-1.
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But, despite the result, and the somewhat disappointing outcome, there were signs there is room for improvement and that notion was heightened by one of the team’s newcomers, Simon Richter, who came on to replace the less impressive Dawda Ngum for another run in the team, having made his debut in a 15 minutes cameo appearance against the same opposition back in April last year.
The 33-year-old defender, who was born in Denmark to a Gambian father and a Danish mother, impressed in his home debut and left his name with the fans after a fine display. And again with the likes of Baboucarr Trawally (Steve) and Ipswich’s Mustapha Carayol to hopefully make a return to the team in September, when the Scorpions takes on Algeria in the 2019 African cup qualifiers, there is a degree of optimism that the team can mouth a somewhat challenge for a place in the competition that has proven elusive thus far.
Scorpions Line-up against CAR
Alhagi Modou Jobe, Omar Colley, Bubacarr Sanneh, Pa Modou Jagne, Hamza Barry, Tijan Jaiteh, Sulayman Marreh, Lamin Jallow, Assan Ceesay, Dawna Ngum and Modou Barrow.
