Equatorial Guinea’s coach, Vincenzo Alberto Annese, said the team’s 1-0 win over Sierra Leone was an important response after losing to DR Congo in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
In an interview via WhatsApp, Annese, who started his continental coaching career in Ghana with Bechem United for the 2017 season, expressed satisfaction with his team’s performance at the Stade Omnisport Ahmadou Ahidjo in Yaoundé on Monday.
“I knew taking this job would be a good challenge for me since Nzalang Nacional is in Group E with DR Congo, Sierra Leone, and Zimbabwe,” he explained. “We were more organised defensively than Sierra Leone.”
“We made changes in the second half to control the game. We created many chances but didn’t take advantage of them. Still, the goal was to win, and now we need to focus on our next important games against Zimbabwe.”
“Just like Sierra Leone is going to DR Congo, we will host Zimbabwe in the next round of matches. This is a very competitive group, and every team still has a long way to go. The win is crucial because it gives us confidence.”
Early Coaching Career
Annese started his coaching career with the youth team at Fidelis Andria in 2010. In 2012, he joined Foggia as a coach for the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons. From 2015 to 2016, he coached abroad in Latvia with JFK Saldus and worked with the Armenia U-19 and U-17 national teams.
