The Pointsport went out-and-about to sound the reactions of some Gambian fans around the Greater Banjul Area.
“I feel so much happy with the performance of our boys. They played very well but luck was not on our side today. There were too much talks prior to the game against Senegal and my wish was Gambia to beat Senegal,” Jainaba, a Gambian fan from Ebo Town, told Pointsports. She also gave credit to coach Tom Saintfeit for making brilliant substitutions.
However, she advised the Gambian coach not to underrate the young players but give them a chance in the senior national team.
Alieu Kargbo, a native of Bundung, also commended the boys for their performance. According to him, he was not expecting such a respectable performance from the Gambian players looking at the team’s poor preparation for the tournament.
Musa Touray, a fan who travelled all the way from Basse to watch the game in the Greater Banjul Area, said: “This was not the results we expected but we still trust the process. I predicted that the Scorpions’ will beat the Taranga Loins of Senegal, but unfortunately, there was an interesting turn of events and the victory went to Senegal.”
He added: “To loose a game is part of football. Let the coach and players go back to the drawing board and rectify the errors that led to our defeat and come back strong against Guinea on Friday.
Talking about the booking, he said: “The red card hit us hard and one can argue that it is part of the factors that resulted in our defeat. Nonetheless, we are still expecting more from the team. This is just the beginning and by the grace of the Almighty we will win our subsequent games.”
Modou Njie, who also travelled all the way from Fass Omar Saho in Upper Nuimi District, North Bank Region, said he was disappointed with the final result but impressed with the performance of the Gambian team.
Red card weakened the Gambian team, Njie emphasised, as he advised Gambian fans to remain calm and not utter abusive language to any Senegalese fan.
Isatou Chaw, a student at St Therese’ Primary School, said she did not expect Senegal to win by such margin.
Ousman Jambang, a native of Pirang in Kombo East, said football needs patience, adding that Senegal have been participating in the Africa Cup of Nations for a long time and have “more experience in the competition than our players”.
