The Gambia came into the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations as the lowest-ranked team, as they occupied the 150th position in the FIFA ranking.
So, expectations were really low for the Scorpions.
Progressing from their group, which had only one champion, Tunisia, along with Mali and Mauritania, looked to be an extreme task. Those who strangely had faith in The Gambia only said they could qualify as one of the best third-placed teams.
But after three weeks of action, The Gambia have come very far.
Two 1-0 wins against Tunisia and Mauritania and a draw with Mali earned them seven points as they finished second in the group. As a result, The Gambia achieved qualification to the Round of 16 for the first time.
They came up against a Guinean side that had kept a clean sheet against Senegal in a tough battle but the Scorpions recorded another 1-0 win to continue their fairy tale run in Cameroon.
They come up against the host nation on Saturday for a place in the semi-final.
Ahead of the biggest match in the country’s football history, their head coach Saintfiet, the Belgian, 48, whose CV reveals him to be a veritable globetrotter, has spoken to 3Sports in an exclusive interview below.
Source: 3news.com|Ghana