Bonu blames late prep for exit

By Sulayman Bah Gaffer Bonu Johnson has blamed late preparation for Gambia’s mauling by Senegal. The Scorpions got stunned in their fortress Independence Stadium losing 1-0 to the Taranga Lions. An 8th minute goal from Mouhamad Waliou Ndoye was enough to do the damage to Gambia’s hope of defying the extraordinary. Ramadan and lack of concentration was blamed for the Scorpions’ 3-1 first-leg lost. And in a bid to twist the game on its head, Gambian players were told to desist from fasting on the night of the Senegambian derby. But the plan backfired with Senegal basking as winners. And speaking in post-match comment, Bonu summed up his team’s elimination to a sentence: late preparation, lack of competition and poor luck on goal. ‘We did not have enough time to prepare. You cannot prepare a team in two months. We also don’t have a competition like the Senegalese team. There’re only two changes to the team compared to the team that started in Senegal,’ he told reporters. He went on: ‘the boys may have been under pressure because they had to overturn the score. We had more chances than the opponent but they were in a hurry to score. There is also need for early preparation.’ Team captain Chsitoper Allen said: ‘we played well but it turned out this way. It was God’s decision that we will lose and we take it in good faith.’  ]]>