Humbled Azkals brace for Pyongyang stint

Azkals face North Korea next. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

It was always going to be a tough proposition playing a team in the upper echelons of Asian football and after a heavy 1-5 loss to Uzbekistan, the disappointment was evident as each Filipino player emerged from the locker room at Philippine Sports Stadium.

Azkals coach Thomas Dooley refused to sulk, stressing that there’s still plenty of fight left in his side as they continue to negotiate a difficult World Cup Qualifying group.

“We will have games like this and we know we would only have a chance if everything goes right,” Dooley said. “We hold our head high and we move on.”

Hopes were high of an upset as the Azkals came into the game on the back of two impressive wins, while the Uzbeks were far from their best against North Korea and Yemen.

Amid a thunderstorm, the Azkals fell behind 40 seconds into the game as a low strike from Uzbekistan skipper Omil Akmehdov skimmed in front of Neil Etheridge and rolled between his legs.

The goal came as a shock and the Azkals struggled to settle into the match, while the Uzbeks grew in confidence, underlining their status as an Asian powerhouse.
The visitors were two goals ahead after 15 minutes, before a stunning strike from Igor Sergeev just two minutes before halftime made it 3-nil.

“I thought it will be a great experience for the players,” Dooley said. “But the thing is, from the first kick, we started on the wrong direction and after the first goal, the first minute, everything we tried to do was gone.”

The Azkals did show a semblance of good play, knocking the ball around and creating chances in the middle stages of the first half and in the second half when Stephan Schrock came in. Schrock scored the Azkals’ only goal—a 35 yard free kick that was misjudged by the Uzbek keeper—but by that time, the visitors were already 4-0 ahead.
“I think the players didn’t give up,” Dooley said. “There were mistakes that we have to correct next time. We have to run those, and we should be  fine.”

The Azkals now brace for an Oct. 8 duel with North Korea in Pyongyang, before facing Bahrain five days later in Manama.