Tunisia stung by Jallow’s stunner in Scorpions scalp

Gambia continued their stunning debut Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) campaign, after Ablie Jallow’s stunning stoppage-time winner secured a 1-0 victory over Tunisia at the Limbe Omnisport Stadium.Both teams headed into the contest having already qualified for the knockout stages, with Gambia’s achievement on their AFCON debut particularly remarkable after entering the competition as the lowest-ranked team – 150th in the FIFA standings.The state of the pitch left a lot to be desired, and almost caught out Gambia keeper Baboucarr Gaye, who misjudged the bobble on Omar Colley’s back-pass and was relieved to see the ball go behind for a corner inside the opening two minutes. Tunisia were having the lion’s share of possession, but showed little quality in the final third. The ‘Aigles de Carthage’ squandered a gift to take the lead in first-half stoppage time, as Pa Modou was penalised for a foul on Seifeddine Jaziri inside the box, but the latter saw his resulting penalty saved by Gaye – the third spot-kick which Tunisia have missed at this year’s tournament.There were ugly scenes at HT when a fracas broke out with the teams heading towards the tunnel, and a red card was brandished to Tunisia substitute keeper Farouk Ben Mustapha amidst the mayhem. That sudden and dramatic sending off left their head coach Mondher Kebaier in disbelief, and he was seemingly perplexed by the decision when discussing it with referee Fernando Guerrero.The ‘Scorpions’ had shown little attacking intent up to this point, but Musa Barrow was inches away from breaking the deadlock in spectacular fashion when his stunning free-kick cannoned off the bar. However, Tunisia eventually succumbed to a late Gambia winner, when Jallow rifled in a superb left-footed strike from inside the box which left keeper Bechir Ben Saïd standing motionless. Gambia can now look forward to a last-16 tie against Guinea in Bafoussam on Monday, while Tunisia face an arguably stiffer test when they face Nigeria in Garoua on Sunday.