Although the Gambian national team has lost both of its opening two games in the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), head coach Tom Saintfiet is certain his squad will advance to the next round.
“The circumstances have become more intricate, yet we are still alive. The Scorpions’ manager emphasized, “We can still qualify with three points in our next game.” We need to score goals against Cameroon as we haven’t yet done so in order to win,” he stated.
In a news conference following the game, the Belgian reaffirmed that he never referred to Guinea as the group’s weakest team, saying, “The weakest in Group C is Gambia; Guinea is the most dangerous.”
However, Tom Saintfiet acknowledged that Guinea had the superior play in the first half and that Gambia had improved in the second half.
The Belgian said, “We raised our level more in the second period, but Guinea was stronger in the first.”
“I will remain optimistic as we triumphed over a formidable and skilled squad like Guinea.”
Saintfiet thought the Gambia had opportunities and regretted that a goal was disallowed prior to Guinea’s winning goal.
The goal against us caught us off guard. I can’t talk badly about the squad I lead, so I thanked the guys,” he continued.
Saintfiet said that defeating Cameroon in their last group game would depend on scoring goals.
Saintfiet is still optimistic that his team can pull off a historic upset and go to the AFCON knockout stages despite the odds.
