PH Azkals face tough AFC road, says Weiss

MATCH TODAY (Panaad Stadium)
4 p.m.—Chinese-Taipei vs Pakistan

BACOLOD CITY—Chinese-Taipei gave the Philippines a tough reminder that there’s plenty of work ahead if the Azkals want to contend in the AFC Challenge Cup next year.

Visibly struggling with their form, the Azkals lost to a counterattacking Taiwanese side, 1-2, Friday night in a match that lured a smaller turnout than previous national team matches at Panaad Stadium.

Coach Michael Weiss said the loss was an eye-opener for the Azkals and the form they are in now.

“We were facing a strong opponent—a surprisingly strong opponent but it’s a good eye opener at this point in time,” said the German coach.

“The first game after a long time is always difficult,” said Azkals manager Dan Palami. “We have seen that its enough just to have big names there, that it’s important for them to be together.”

Chinese-Taipei can clinch the Peace Cup title with a victory over debuting Pakistan today at Panaad Stadium.

The match against Chinese-Taipei was only the sixth this year for the Azkals, unlike in previous years where they played more often here and abroad.

Palami called for cooperation from football stakeholders to work together as the team prepares for the Challenge Cup.

“We hope that the clubs, schools and all stakeholders in PH football that if we are to reach the Asian Cup, we really need to have players more often,” said Palami. “I would like to make an appeal for the clubs and the other stakeholders to really exert extra effort to allow the team to be together for longer periods of time.”