Paqueta hails Libya showing

Libya coach Marcos Paqueta has spoken about how proud he is of his team following their exit from the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations.

Nicknamed the Mediterranean Knights, Libya beat Senegal 2-1 in their final Group A match on Sunday, ending the tournament with four points from the three matches, having drawn 2-2 with Zambia and losing 1-0 to co-hosts Equatorial Guinea.

Brazilian Paqueta is pleased with his team’s overall performance at the Afcon, despite their elimination at the group stage.

“I’m satisfied with the performance of my team,” he told Cafonline.

“Taking into consideration the condition back home, most of the players have been inactive due to the abandoning of the local league.”

“Mentally, it affected the players with the situation of their families back home.”

“The team got better match after match and that is a positive sign. They performed as expected.”

In the interest of continuity, Paqueta has asked the Libyan Football Federation to work on keeping his players together so they can deliver an improved showing in future competitions.

“After this performance, I am calling on the federation to support the team and help the players improve for the future,” he said.

Co-hosts Equatorial Guinea and Group A leaders Zambia have progressed to the quarter-finals, while Senegal finished bottom with no points from their three matches.