With tears in his eyes seconds after Cuba's victory over Australia (4-3) on Wednesday, Manager Armando Johnson thanked the Cuban people for following every moment of the performance of 'Team Asere' in the World Baseball Classic (WBC).

Tokyo.- In exclusive statements to Prensa Latina, Johnson, 64, recalled that a few days ago he asked everyone for confidence and calm because we worked for each one of our fans and we knew we were going to improve the image.

After 17 years of absence and despite two consecutive losses at the start in Group A, Wednesday’s victory made Cuba qualify for the second time to the semifinal round of the most prestigious baseball tournament.

Now, the team will have a long trip to Miami, the United States, where the WBC finals will take place.

We have not finished yet, but we have already advanced a good part and I think we are going to continue,” the manager of Cuba’s team said. (PL)