PHOTO by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
BOCAUE, Bulacan – It was a narrow victory that could be the start of something big.
Flashing its strength and depth, the Philippines got its World Cup Qualifying campaign off to a dream start with a historic 2-1 upset of Bahrain last night at Philippine Sports Stadium here.
Second half goals from Misagh Bahadoran and Javier Patino boosted the Azkals to victory against a team that came tantalizingly close to reaching the World Cup twice in the last three editions.
At 107th position, Bahrain is the highest ranked team beaten by the Azkals.
It took awhile for the Azkals to settle but when they did, they put the visitors on their heels.
But unlike in previous big matches, the Azkals made their chances count with Bahadoran and Patino on the end of some fine play inside the box.
Phil Younghusband slid into midfield and his passing and vision helped wear down the opposition. One such pass led to Bahadoran’s fine finish at the near post five minutes into the second half.
Bahadoran came on in the 23rd minute for the injured Stephan Schrock.
Patino doubled the lead with an instinctive finish at the hour mark. He atoned for his earlier miss in the 13th minute when he beat the offside trap only to shoot straight at the Bahrain keeper.
“We worked hard to build a team that we can be proud of and also surprise the other team,” said Azkals manager Dan Palami.
The country, though, was caught napping in injury time as Abdulwahab Al Malood nailed an important away goal for Bahrain
The Azkals fly to Doha Qatar Friday for their clash against Yemen on June 16 as they continue their campaign in the Asian qualifier. Randolph Leongson