January 24, (THEWILL) – Gambia’s excellent run at the TotalEnergies 2021 Africa Cup of Nations continued with a 1-0 win over Guinea, which sent the Scorpions to the quarter-finals.
Gambia generated a stir merely by making it out of their group, finishing second to Mali, but their campaign is far from over when they defeated their West African rivals on Monday.
A tense first half produced few highlights, but both teams threatened just before the break, with Guinea’s Mohamed Bayo being stopped at close range by goalkeeper Baboucarr Gaye and Ebrima Darboe shooting agonisingly wide at the opposite end.
Musa Barrow took advantage of a fortunate bounce to break the deadlock 19 minutes from time, sprinting into the box and calmly tapping home.
Soon after, Guinea thought they had equalised, only for Ibrahima Sory Conte to be flagged offside – he was then accidently caught in the face as Yusupha Njie was sent off for a second booking.
In the closing minutes, the Syli Nationale heaped up the pressure, striking the goal frame twice in quick succession, but Conte was sent off for a similar offence to Njie, and Gambia held on for a stunning win that will almost certainly see them meet hosts Cameroon in the last eight.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
