AFCON 2021: Equatorial Guinea aim to feature in the Africa Cup of Nations regularly
Equatorial Guinea was knocked out of the competition by the AFCON 2019 finalist on Sunday. As a response to the loss, the Nzalang Nacional aim to participate in competitions regularly.
Equatorial Guinea’s run in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations came to an end after losing 1-3 to one of the AFCON favorites, Senegal.
Jannick Buyla’s equalizing goal in the 57th minute was not enough for the Central African side to remain in the tournament.
Goals from Cheikhou Kouyate in the 68th minute and Watford’s Ismalia Sarr in the 79th minute sealed a semifinal place for the West African Side, consequently, end of the tournament for the Nzalang Nacional who, however, had a good outing at the Africa Cup of Nations.
They finished second in Group B behind group leaders Ivory Coast with six points. They won’t forget their famous victory against Algeria in a short while. They defeated Mali in the second round through penalties, but their run in the biennial Africa showpiece came to an end against the Teranga Lions.
Equatorial Guinea Coach Juan Micha speaking after the game praised the Senegalese team and his team for their performance. He further said that their ambition after crashing out of the tournament is to feature in competitions regularly.
“We knew we were going to play against a very good Senegalese team. We gave our best during this match. I think the physical factor got the better of us,” said Micha.
“We congratulate the Senegalese team for their performance today (Sunday). We have a young team, who have come to play the Afcon to go as far as possible in the competition.
“We have demonstrated what we are capable of. For the future, we will try to consolidate the achievements and participate regularly in competitions.”
Equatorial Guinea will now shift their focus to the Cote d’Ivoire 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
