Chad secured their first victory of the African Championship campaign with a 3:2 win over Gambia on Wednesday evening. The result ended a string of defeats for the visitors while extending Gambia's scoreless start to the tournament.
Both sides entered this fixture sharing the same position in the table — third place with two losses and zero points. What followed was a match that finally produced something both teams had been searching for, though Gambia's search continues.
Chad's recent form had been difficult to watch. They had lost four consecutive matches, all by identical 0:3 margins, against Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria and Algeria. The one exception in their history came back in 2023 when they beat Morocco 3:0, but that feels like a different era.
Gambia's struggles were more varied but equally concerning. They had faced Morocco and Egypt in September 2026, losing 1:3 on both occasions, before heavy defeats to DR Congo and Rwanda. Their record reads like a cautionary tale about the gap between ambition and reality on this continent.
And here's the thing about these opening rounds — zero points means zero pressure, but also zero momentum. Chad have now changed the narrative with three goals and a win. Gambia sit where they did before, only now with the weight of another loss added to the pile.
The table remains tight at the bottom after this result. Both teams occupy third place with identical records, though Chad's position carries a different weight now. They have something Gambia do not — a reason to believe.