Banjul, 17th March 2025: Hart Academy of Jarra Soma recorded a remarkable victory over champions and league leaders Real de Banjul in the ongoing Gambia Football Federation first division League. Hart registered a 2-1 victory over the leaders to close the gap on top to just a point.
This was a top-of-the-table clash as the league surprise packages Hart Academy, in red hot form, faced league leaders Real De Banjul at the Jarra Soma Mini Stadium in what was a highly attended game.
Hart Academy, who are playing top-tier football for the first time, were hoping to bank on home support and their good run of form to narrow the gap on leaders, while Real De Banjul, highly experienced in top-tier football, were equally looking forward to widening the gap on top.
That made the tie end-to-end stuff, with Real del Banjul exerting early pressure on the home side with some good attacking football, but they were not able to make any count.
Hart Academy refused to panic by that early dominance by the visitors as they quickly turned the game on its head and scored two goals within six minutes. First, Nfansu Dibba fired home from a distance in the 30th minute for the breakthrough, before Ismaila Saidykhan caused another moment of confusion for the visitors as he netted a towering header to give a comfortable two-nil lead to Hart.
Knowing how embarrassing that score would look under any footballing eye and given their reputation as one of the best teams in the league, Real De Banjul tried to regroup for a comeback; at first, it appeared a possible one when Babucarr Touray reduced the deficit to one for Real De Banjul just before the break.
However, Hart Academy, who were considered minnows at the beginning of the league, now title contenders, stayed resolute all through the second half.
There were good scoring chances from both ends in the second half, but the final score was much to the delight of Hart supporters as they celebrated a 2-1 victory over the defending league champions.
The Assistant Coach of Hart Academy Buba Corea, hailed his team for following the game plan, which he believed earned them the vital 3 points.
The coach of Real de Banjul, Ebrima Jatta, refused to be interviewed by the waiting journalists, saying he didn’t have time as he was travelling back to Banjul, which was no justification for avoiding the press even after he kept the journalists waiting for him.
Hart Academy, who are on 29 points, are now just one point behind defending champions and league leaders Real De Banjul, who are on 30 points after 15 games.
Source: GTRS’s Ousman Baldeh
Jarra Soma’s Hart Academy Defeat League Leaders Real De Banjul
