President Barrow of The Gambia has praised the Scorpions following their historic Africa Cup of Nations qualifying victory over Angola away on Wednesday.

The tiny west African nation came from behind to win 3-1 in Luanda after two goals from Assan Ceesay and a late Sulayman Marreh strike to take all three points away from home.

The victory was Gambia’s first away triumph in a competitive fixture for 36 years — since they defeated Mauritania in 1983 — and highlights the progress made under Belgian coach Tom Sainfet.

“[I’m] joining the rest of the country to congratulate our gallant Scorpions for a hard-fought victory,” Barrow wrote on his @PresidentBarrow handle. “Thanks for flying the Gambian flag to higher heights.

“The future for Gambian sports is indeed bright,” he continued. “We’ll continue to provide all the necessary support for the advancement of the game.”

Gambia, who are joined in their Afcon qualifying group with Gabon and the Democratic Republic of Congo, have never before qualified for the Nations Cup.

However, they impressed during the qualifying campaign for the 2019 tournament, holding Algeria home and away, while also holding Gambia in Lome and defeating Benin 3-1.

(Goal.com)