THE PHILIPPINE Azkals got a neat lesson in attacking football from a cohesive United Arab Emirates side that romped to a 4-0 victory Saturday night at Zayed Sports Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
Facing their highest-ranked opponent yet, the Azkals were outclassed by the Arabs who showed them how much work needs to be done for them to compete with Asia’s best.
Although the Azkals were still far from their sharp form with the AFC Challenge Cup still six months away, the Filipinos hardly offered any attacking threat, while being forced to absorb tremendous pressure defensively.
The Arabs, the reigning Gulf Cup of Nation champions preparing for the Asian Cup Qualifying campaign, constantly stretched the Azkals’ defense and wreaked havoc on Ed Sacapano’s goal.
The Azkals’ midfield couldn’t get the attack going, while Phil Younghusband struggled to wriggle his way past an experienced UAE backline.
“It’s a loss we can certainly learn from. The experience of playing against a quality team will help us in our Challenge Cup bid,” said Azkals manager Dan Palami, who stayed behind in Manila, concerned with the status of his family caught in the eye of Supertyphoon “Yolanda” in his hometown of Tacloban.
Sacapano, starting in the absence of Neil Etheridge and Roland Muller, kept the Azkals in the match early on with a string of fine saves.
The Azkals leave for Chennai for another international against India on Friday. Cedelf P.Tupas