Scorpions “Saint” Tom Saintfiet has reacted happily although with mixed feelings after Gambia’s win over Djibouti at Afcon Preliminary return and final leg played on Sunday 13th October 2019 at the Independence Stadium in Bakau.
Speaking at Post Match Press Conference, Tom told Reporters that he was with mixed feelings at the end of the match. “I am sitting here with mixed feelings. We have qualified and that was the most important thing”. He said the Scorpions’ away leg to Djibouti was too much of difficulties. “We had a game plan that we could not do because we wanted to play offensive football to create chances and put them under pressure but it went the other way round. We scored an own goal but fought back to score an equalizer but in my eyes it was not a good performance”.
Reacting to the game arrangement, the Belgian noted that after a week of travel to and fro, “we slept on bed for only one night. We knew it will not be easy but on the other hand we know that we want to win and play good football. We wanted to give people a combination of football and to create lots of chances and I think we played very well in the first half”. He said the team had brilliant combinations and created lot of chances but scored only one goal. “Second half was little more difficult but still we had some good chances. I think today we play attacking football, played good combination of football and had lot of possession. I wanted to win in regulation time and not on penalties”, he noted.
Commenting on the substitutions he effected, Saintfiet said Muhammed Badamossi was a little bit tired while two others mid fielder Ebrima Colley asked to be changed due to back pain and defender Ngin Faye Njie with a knee complain.”So I was force to do those changes. And the reason we opted to bring Bubacarr Jobe is to have fresh leg in attack and he (Bubacarr) made some good runs and even had a chance to score the winning goal before the 90th minutes”.
Saintfiet thanked the GFF for the great support during the course of the campaign and said “the Federation has helped and supported us throughout and that is one of the reasons why we have reached to this level”. The Belgian is back to his base in Europe where he will continue monitoring the progress of the Scorpions before the team’s next and first match in the Qualifiers Proper away to Angola scheduled for the 13th November, 2019.