Gambia

Match report

Gambia took three points from their African Cup of Nations qualifier against Somalia with a 2-1 victory in Banjul. Ebrima Colley opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the eighteenth minute, and Muhammed Badammosi added a second close to the end to secure the win. Bilal Njie pulled one back for the visitors in the seventy-second minute, but it was not enough to salvage a point.

Colley's penalty came after Somalia had been drawn forward, and he converted with a cool finish. The hosts controlled possession throughout, but it was not until the second half that they truly looked like breaking the visitors down. Njie's goal changed the tempo, and Gambia had to work to see out the game.

By then, substitutions had begun to shift the shape. Yaya Bojang and Alieu Fadera came on together at the break for Gambia, while Abubakr Barry was replaced in the sixty-ninth minute alongside Colley. Njie was substituted in the eighty-fifth minute, and the game settled into a rhythm where Gambia could maintain control.

The statistics tell a familiar story: Gambia held 61 per cent of possession and registered four shots on target compared to Somalia's single attempt on goal. The visitors managed only one shot on target from six attempts, and their goalkeeper made two saves. Gambia's accuracy from distance was limited, but they created enough inside the penalty area to make the difference.

This result keeps Gambia in contention at the top of their qualifying group. Somalia remain winless in their opening campaign, with draws against Mauritius and Oman earlier in the year suggesting they struggle to convert dominance into goals. The hosts have not won in their last two matches against Iran and Senegal, but they showed enough to move forward.

Prepared from match data

Key numbers

Possession, % 61 – 39

Shots on target 4 – 1

Shots off target 3 – 3

Attacks 80 – 61

⚽ 18' Ebrima Colley — Penalty 🟨 22' Abdulsamed Abdullahi — Yellow card 🟨 34' Abubakr Barry — Yellow card ⇄ 35' Abdi Sabriye — Substitution ⇄ 45' Yaya Bojang — Substitution ⇄ 45' Alieu Fadera — Substitution ⇄ 69' Abubakr Barry — Substitution ⇄ 69' Ebrima Colley — Substitution ⚽ 72' Bilal Njie — Goal ⇄ 77' Abdoulie Ceesay — Substitution ⇄ 78' Sakariya Hassan — Substitution ⚽ 83' Muhammed Badammosi — Goal ⇄ 85' Abdi Sharif — Substitution ⇄ 85' Bilal Njie — Substitution 🟨 90+6' A. Abdullahi — Yellow card

Match events

18' 1:0 Gambia Penalty Ebrima Colley
22' 1:0 Somalia Yellow card Abdulsamed Abdullahi
34' 1:0 Gambia Yellow card Abubakr Barry
35' 1:0 Somalia Substitution Abdi Sabriye off: I. Abatari
45' 1:0 Gambia Substitution Yaya Bojang off: Muhammed Badammosi
45' 1:0 Gambia Substitution Alieu Fadera off: Suleiman Camara
69' 1:0 Gambia Substitution Abubakr Barry off: Ebou Adams
69' 1:0 Gambia Substitution Ebrima Colley off: Abdoulie Sanyang
72' 1:1 Somalia Goal Bilal Njie
77' 1:1 Gambia Substitution Abdoulie Ceesay off: Adama Bojang
78' 1:1 Somalia Substitution Sakariya Hassan off: Ilyas Akram
83' 2:1 Gambia Goal Muhammed Badammosi assist: Suleiman Camara
85' 2:1 Somalia Substitution Abdi Sharif off: Mohamed Ahmed Osman
85' 2:1 Somalia Substitution Bilal Njie off: M. Suleiman
90+6' 2:1 Somalia Yellow card A. Abdullahi

Statistics

61 Possession, % 39

4 Shots on target 1

3 Shots off target 3

80 Attacks 61

1 Corners 3

15 Fouls 13

13 Free kicks 16

2 Offsides 2

1 Yellow cards 1

0 Red cards 0

6 Goal kicks 13

18 Throw-ins 20

All statistics

4 Blocked shots 2

54 Failed passes 67

0 Goalkeeper saves 2

0.36 Shot accuracy 0.17

5 Shots from outside the box 4

6 Shots inside the box 2

419 Total passes 330

Line-ups

Starting XI
#	Player	number
18	Baboucarr Gaye	18
3	Sainey Sanyang	3
4	Alagie Saine	4
5	O. Colley	5
6	J. Bodjang	6
2	Mahmudu Bayu	2
7	Alieu Fadera	7
15	Lars Joseph Ceesay	15
19	Ebrima Colley	19
25	Abubakr Barry	25
21	Abduli Seay	21

Substitutes
#	Player	number
1	Ebrima Jarju	1
12	James Gomez	12
13	Ibou Touray	13
24	J. Colley	24
8	Ebrima Adams	8
23	Mouhamadou Drammeh	23
9	Suleiman Camara Sanneh	9
10	Muhammed Cray Badamosi	10
11	Abdoulie Sanyang	11
14	Alasana Jirajang	14
20	Adama Bodjang	20