By: Modou Lamin Beyai
Gambia U20 captain Ablie Jallow marked his French Ligue 1 debut with a home defeat for FC Metz against champions AS Monaco at the weekend.
Ablie, who completed a five-year move to Metz, last month, made a landmark by becoming the first Gambian with the most minutes in the French top-tier, coming off for Matthieu Udol with 18 minutes remaining.
The 18-year-old may have found himself on the losing side but after completing 89 per cent of his passes in the final third, he can build confidence on his debut performance after being called early to action by coach Philippe Hinschberger and unfazed by the prospect of facing off with Radamel Falcao – who scored the visitors’ goal – on the pitch.
Ablie, dubbed Germano, becomes the second Gambian player to feature in the French Ligue 1 after Abdou Rahman Dampha did with AS Nancy five years ago.
