Equatorial Guinea head coach Juan Micha stayed positive despite the national team bowing out of the Africa Cup of Nations at the group stages in Morocco.

Following their final group fixture at Stade Moulay Hassan in Rabat, Morocco, on Wednesday, Equatorial Guinea lost 3-1 to Algeria. Zineddine Belaïd powered home a header beyond goalkeeper Jesús Owono for the opener before Fares Chaïbi doubled their advantage after finishing confidently after sustained pressure around the penalty area.

The third goal arrived when Hadj Moussa set up Ibrahim Maza to strike decisively and leave Les Fennecs firmly in control by the interval.

“The result is not what we had planned for. We came here to win but it was not the case. We really tried to push and change the result,” said Micha.

“It is a disappointing result, but we need to dust ourselves off and continue looking towards the future. Yes, it’s a loss but I think there were a lot of lessons learnt.”

Equatorial Guinea left the stage without a win from three matches, while Algeria finished with maximum points to qualify for the Round of 16.