Erasto Nyoni’s 84th minute penalty was enough to earn Tanzania a 2-1 win over The Gambia in the World Cup qualifier on Sunday.
Despite Gambia and MSK Zilina striker Momodou Ceesay’s 7th minute strike which gave The Gambia an early lead in Dar es Salaam, the Scorpions failed to guide their early lead and conceded two second-half goals to remain rooted at the bottom of the group with a single point.
Shomari Kapombe scored Tanzania’s first goal of this qualifying stage in the 60th minute. Ali Sowe in the 68th minute replaced Momodou Ceesay.
Tanzania completed a remarkable turnaround in the 84th minute when Erasto scored a penalty after a Gambian player held the ball in the penalty box to end the visitors’ hunt for maximum three points away from Banjul.
By this result in relation to Saturday’s between Morocco and Côte d’Ivoire, Tanzania have leapfrogged both The Gambia and Morocco and sat second in Group C behind Côte d’Ivoire.
The Scorpions drew their first group fixture against Morocco but could have joined section leaders Côte d’Ivoire on four points had they won over Tanzania on Sunday.
The Scorpions will now proceed to Algeria to take on their North African opponents in the 2013 African Cup of Nations qualifier on June 15, 2012.
The Gambia lost 2-1 to Algeria in Banjul.
