Cousin keen to secure progression

Gabon captain Daniel Cousin says his side are desperate to secure their place in the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations.

Gabon will be aiming to emulate their co-hosts Equatorial Guinea by earning a spot among the last eight teams at the tournament, and they will go a long way toward achieving that goal with a win over Morocco on Friday.

Morocco lost their first Group C match 2-1 to Tunisia, making the match with Gabon a must-win clash for them, but Cousin told Cafonline his team-mates are ready for the match.

“It’s not going to be easy,” he said. “We will play to win and keep us top of the group as well as qualifying to the quarter-final.”

“We want to make our supporters happy as they hope for us to win our first title at home.”

“We respect all the teams in this tournament, but that doesn’t mean we fear anyone.”

“We know that Morocco has many players who have their career in Europe and that they’ve got a great manager. But we also have a great manager and a new generation of talented players.”

“We’ve got the ambition of playing the final at home which is a dream we want to make true.”

The former Rangers and Hull City forward praised his country’s fans who have been turning out to see the team in action.

“We feel grateful for these great fans that always support us,” he said.

“They played a vital role in our first win against Niger and we always see how they cheer for us everywhere even in the streets and training sessions.”

“I wish they continue that amazing support and I promise we’ll give our best to achieve their dreams.”