Gambia’s coach, Belgian Paul Put, said he is proud of the performance of his team against Senegal on Sunday, despite watching his side settled for another stalemate score in the 2010 World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations qualifier campaign.

The Gambia could have grabbed their first win over Senegal since 1962 if not for some poor finishing, which eventually saw the game sealed at 0-0 draw, a result that keep Senegal on top of the Group 6 on four points, while the Gambia are third on two points - one point away from second position holders, Algeria.

“What I saw today and what I saw in Liberia, we have to be optimistic. We still have matches to go, and Senegal have difficult matches ahead, so have Algeria,” the European told waiting journalists in a post-match interview on Sunday.

“It was a good game and I am happy with the way we played. We have tried everything to win the match, but luck was not on our side.”

“To be honest, Senegal have a big team with experienced players who are playing at the highest level in Europe. And they are physically much stronger than Gambians,”

The Scorpions enjoyed a numerical advantage for nearly an hour, after the dismissal of midfielder Kader Mangane for a second booking in the 38th minute, but Paul Put insists the numerical disparity on the pitch does not always make a difference.

“It is not always an advantage to play against ten men because they can drop and they can be organised as well, said the half-happy coach who wants the Scorpions to go for the three points when they take on Algeria on Saturday.

Senegal coach, Lamin Ndiaye, stated that the draw was a good result for his side, taking into consideration that they did not only play away from home, but also with ten men.