Micha: National Thunder ready to compete more

Equatorial Guinea head coach Juan Micha says their achievement at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations has made the team hungry to feature more often in major tournaments.

The National Thunder qualified for the showpiece event in Cameroon for just the third time in their history, having staged the 2015 edition while they were co-hosts in 2012 alongside Gabon.

The West Africans matched their run of 2012 as they reached the quarter-finals once more before bowing out with a 3-1 defeat to Senegal on Sunday.

Micha admitted his young players lacked the physicality to compete with the Lions of Teranga, but insists they are determined to showcase their talent on the international stage more regularly in future.

“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,” he said in the post-match press conference.

“We congratulate the Senegalese selection for their performance today. We have a young team, who have come to play (at) the CAN TotalEnergies 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 international competitions.”

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