The Scorpions of The Gambia lost all three of their group stage matches of the Afcon tournament in Côte d’Ivoire.
The Gambia lost their opening match to neighbours Senegal (3-0) before losing to Guinea 1-0 and Cameroon 3-2 respectively.
“I am immensely proud of my team. I think I can be one of the proud coaches in the world. I have a team who bounced back after two difficult games and difficult preparation. We played a great game today. We deserve at least a point. We could even have had a victory, but I am proud as a coach though disappointed with the result,” he said during the post-match interview with reporters after the game against Cameroon.
He added that the Scorpions dominated the most part of the game, especially in the first half.
“There were more periods in the game when everyone expected a goal from The Gambia than from Cameroon. The biggest difference was the experience of Cameroon to be more clinical in front of goal than The Gambia. They scored three goals and had two shots on the cross bar. We needed more chances to score, and we played fantastic football,” he said.
The 50-year-old coach said the Scorpions were tactically good and played up front with a lot of pressure, excesses and speed.
“In the first half, we were in control of the midfield, and we played direct passes in front. We were sure that Cameroon had a problem with that, but the difference was that we did not score as much from our chances as Cameroon did, which is much more important.”
He added: “For me, we lost the game according to the score line, but we won the game. The Gambia won the game with the players’ fantastic game and performance, and I am immensely proud of my players. It is sad that we have to go home without a point, but this game will be kept in the memory of not only the Gambian fans but also people who love football in Africa.”
