CHAN Qualifying: Algeria v Gambia 2nd leg to proceed as scheduled despite missed flight

Gambia Football Federation/Facebook

UPDATE: The Confederation of African Football has announced that kickoff for the second leg of the Gambia and Algeria match has been postponed to 20:30 GMT.

The Gambia domestic-based national team has arrived in Algeria for the second leg of their duel with the North African hosts for a place at the finals of the 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN).

The Scorpions missed their flight scheduled for Thursday to Algeria, being forced to stay in Nouakchott, Mauritania for the night. Their flight from Dakar, Senegal to Mauritania was delayed which caused them to miss the flight that would have taken them to Algeria.

The team trained at the Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania (FFRIM) FIFA Talent Academy complex before leaving and arriving in Algeria on Friday morning. An appeal to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to have the second leg postponed was rejected and the second leg will kickoff as scheduled at 19:00 GMT.

The teams played to a 0-0 first leg draw in Bakau, Gambia on May 3. Gambia are competing for their first-ever appearance at the finals of the CHAN, a competition exclusively for national teams composed of players who are domestically based.

Algeria, hosts and runners-up at the 2022 edition, are the favorites to progress when the second leg takes place at the 19 May 1956 Stadium in Annaba.