DR Congo beat Gambia 3-0 in their African Championship encounter on Saturday, moving to the top of the table with a crucial away win. The hosts had been winless in two matches, while the visitors picked up their first victory of the tournament on Wednesday.
And here's the thing about Gambia's recent run — they'd lost their previous two fixtures without scoring once. Against Morocco they conceded three, and Rwanda added another clean sheet before this match. By then the pattern was clear enough.
DR Congo's form had been mixed until Wednesday's 3-0 win over Central African Republic. They'd suffered defeats to Morocco, Cameroon and Rwanda, but this result showed they could capitalise when chances came.
The table now tells a different story. Gambia remain in third place but on zero points after two games, while DR Congo move ahead with three points from three matches. The gap between them has widened considerably.
What this means for the tournament is straightforward — DR Congo have taken control of their campaign while Gambia face a real task to salvage their hopes. One win in three games versus none in two tells you where things stand.