The Gambia head coach Johnathan McKinstry says his side’s 4-2 victory over Ghana in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers did not come as a surprise despite the result being achieved away from home.
The Scorpions produced a remarkable comeback at the Accra Sports Stadium on Tuesday, recovering from a two-goal deficit to claim maximum points and maintain their perfect start to the qualifying campaign.
Ghana appeared to have taken control after Ernest Nuamah and Felix Afena-Gyan put the Black Stars 2-0 ahead within six minutes.
The Gambia, however, responded quickly, scoring twice before the break before completing the comeback in the second half.
Despite the scale of the victory, McKinstry said he had expected his team to have opportunities once the match became less controlled.
“When it went to 2-2, I had a feeling how the Black Stars might react in terms of the game might become less controlled, then we will have our opportunities,” McKinstry said.
“So to win the game doesn’t necessarily surprise me.”
The Northern Irish coach also pointed to his familiarity with Ghanaian football as a factor that may have helped his preparations for the encounter.
McKinstry spent part of his coaching career in Ghana and said that experience gave him an understanding of the country’s football culture beyond the tactical aspects of the game.
“My love for African football began in Ghana, so whilst I’ve been away for a long time, I still know people here, I still look on football here even at club level,” he said.
“Maybe that also helped a little bit with the win because beyond the tactics, I sort of had an understanding of the culture a little bit of Ghanaian football.”
The victory leaves The Gambia with six points from their opening two Group C matches, having also defeated Somalia in their first qualifier.
Ghana, meanwhile, have suffered consecutive defeats after also losing 2-0 to Côte d’Ivoire in their opening match.
