After a draw against Cameroon (1-1), Guinea managed to seize 2nd place in Group C of Afcon 2023 by winning a narrow victory against Gambia (1-0). The only scorer of the match, Aguibou Camara, was at the heart of a controversy after the match.
Kaba Diawara’s Guinea are yet to lose in the group of death of Afcon 2023. After a 1-1 draw against Cameroon while leading before the expulsion of François Kamano in the first half , Guinea which generally dominated the match had regrets at the end of the match. According to legend Pascal Feindouno, Syli should have scored the second goal since they had several situations, but the 1-1 draw is far from being a negative result against Cameroon, a formidable team on the continent.
“But it’s beautiful! Especially because I’m not even going to say 11 to 11. We were already leading 1-0 and then we got a red card which reduced us to 10. We could only defend and then if unfortunately for them, we had long balls because we have attackers who go fast, we score the second goal. But now, it’s very good. If Naby Keita and Serhou Guirassi were there, we won’t be talking about a match anymore. We won’t talk anymore. We were going to crush them (the Cameroonians),” he said into the microphone of our special correspondent.
But after this draw against Cameroon, Guinea confirmed against Gambia by winning 1-0 to take second place behind Senegal who terrorized everyone.
Aguibou Camara destroys Gambia and Tom Saintfiet after victory
Asked in the mixed zone about the resistance of the Gambian team, Aguibou Camara, Syli National star and sole scorer of the match, did not mince his words. When asked if the Gambians had held out longer than expected, he replied categorically: “Well no, they are rubbish”. Emphasizing this assertion three times, he added that “the Gambian team is rubbish”.
Aguibou Camara not only criticized the away team’s performance but also took aim at Gambia coach Tom Saintfiet. “They defended for 90 minutes. Let their coach keep his mouth shut and continue teaching his players lessons.” This reply added a dimension of rivalry between the two teams and the video went viral on social networks.
Tom Saintfiet, Gambia coach responds immediately
Tom Saintfiet, the Gambian coach, was criticized by the Guineans for alleged statements before the match. The Belgian technician would have said that Guinea was the weakest in group C. However, Tom Saintfiet clarified his remarks by explaining that “I never said that Guinea was the weakest in group C. I said that in the minds of the Gambian people, the Guinean team is the easiest in our group.”
Former LOSC player, Aguibou Camara joined Olympiakos in 2021, before being loaned this season. His impact was immediately felt, as he scored the decisive goal that gave Guinea victory against Gambia. This performance consolidated Guinea’s position in 2nd place in Group C, and places the team in an advantageous position ahead of a crucial final match against Senegal. In any case, Kaba Diawara’s Guinea is on track to qualify for the round of 16 of Afcon 2023.
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