Gabon's Bouanga: "Great Regret" After AFCON Exit With Zero Points

Denis Bouanga, the Gabon international, expressed his profound disappointment following his national team's elimination from the Africa Cup of Nations, stating that exiting the competition without securing any points was extremely frustrating.

Bouanga told reporters: "There is a lot of disappointment. Exiting the competition with zero points is very frustrating. It's just a bump in the road, and we must accept it."

The Gabon player added: "We will continue to work hard and strive, because we had a good run in the World Cup qualifiers and also in qualifying for the Africa Cup of Nations, so not everything should be thrown aside."

Bouanga spoke about the difficulty of continental competitions, saying: "In Africa, there are no small teams. All teams fight to qualify and play football, especially given the conditions of the pitches and facilities, which makes matches more complicated."

Regarding the players' feelings after the elimination, he stated: "We feel great regret, and the mood within the group is mixed, but we will try to continue working and developing."

Bouanga also extended a message of thanks to the Gabonese fans, affirming: "We thank the Gabonese public for their support. We play for them and for our families. We sometimes receive a lot of criticism because the fans experience the matches just like us, and defeat is always difficult."

Bouanga concluded by saying: "There are still many challenges ahead, and we will do everything in our power to make the fans happy in the future."