Pedro ObiangGetty

Equatorial Guinea debut excites West Ham United midfielder Pedro Obiang

West Ham United midfielder Pedro Obiang is delighted to make his debut for Equatorial Guinea in their 1-0 loss to Senegal in Saturday’s 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

Having spurned previous chances to represent the Nzalang Nacional, the 26-year-old who has featured for Spain’s youth teams [U17, U19 and U21] decided to make a u-turn and made his first appearance for the central African nation – his parents' country – at Estadio de Bata.

The midfielder featured for full duration in the encounter as Luis Meseguer’s own goal handed victory to visiting the Teranga Lions.

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And after making the much-awaited debut, the former Sampdoria player took to the social media to show his delight while praising the fans for their affections towards him.

“I’m very happy to have made my debut with the national team and super happy for the affection the fans showed me,” Obiang wrote on Instagram.

“We started a new journey on Saturday,” he concluded.

Equatorial Guinea failed to qualify for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations billed for Cameroon after securing three points from five games, although they still have a game left to play, Senegal and Madagascar have picked the two tickets for Group A.

Obiang will return to West Ham United for their Premier League preparation against Manchester City on Saturday.

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