Under pressure Luciano Mancini sighs relief after the Italian picked his first point in three matches as Gambia held Angola at Ombaka stadium on Saturday.

The Scorpions last won a match last year in October, albeit a friendly, shoving visiting DR Congo 3-0 during Paul Put's tutelage and since the brutal departure of the Belgian -now Burkina's coach - the faltering Scorpions have yet to clutch points on stake in any game,be it a qualifier or a friendly.

Bonu Johnson's one-game coaching spell at the managerial hot seat was truncated and the Gambian-born gaffer demoted with Italian coach -his former assistant- leapfrogging him to the coaching role.

Mancini has gone two games without a win and he couldn't afford anymore slipups in face of mounting pressure and the Angola draw on Saturday evening will have the Italian breathing a deep sigh of relief.

Both sides gear up for their qualifiers next month in the African Cup of Nations and World Cup, Angola's first-half goal was enough to light up the occasionally quiet home fans.

The Palancas Negras took the lead from the spot in the 10th minute through Amaro. The Gambian team hit back in the 72nd minute with Gambia Ports Authority's Saloum Faal beating his marker in the box to slide the ball past the advancing Angolan goalkeeper to the right corner of the post.

The friendly, Gambia's first since the inception of the Normalisation Committee in March by a FIFA/government-backed decision, comes a month after the cancellation of the proposed test match with Siena of Italy Serie A.