Gambia qualifies for Africa Cup of Nations
The Gambia finished runners-up to Mali in Group G of the AFCON qualifiers. The game was played at the Grand Stadium in Morocco because Gambia does not have a stadium that meets international standards.
The match took place despite the devastating earthquake that left countless Moroccan families in mourning.
More than
2,100 people died in Friday's (September 8) earthquake. Substitutes Yankuba
Minteh and Muhammed Badamosi scored twice, while Congo led by 2 goals. Kierre
earned Gambia the only point they needed to move on to a dream second African
Cup of Nations.
When the
6.8-magnitude earthquake struck late Friday, Congolese and Gambian players
hurriedly fled their hotels and, like many Moroccans, slept on the streets for
fear of aftershocks.
The coaches
of both teams, Belgium's Tom Saintfiet (Gambia) and Paul Put (Congo), said
their players were traumatized but the Confederation of African Football
decided the match would go ahead as planned.
About a
dozen spectators went to the game, tickets in hand, in an almost empty place.
The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations will start on January 13, 2024. The final will be played on February 11, 2024.
