Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
RIFFA—Battle-weary and spent from all the traveling the past week, the Philippine Azkals found out the hard way how brutal football can be at the international level.
Unable to cash in on their early chances, the Azkals came to grief in a 0-2 defeat to Bahrain Tuesday night in Group H of World Cup qualifying at National Stadium here.
Two goals in an eight-minute spell in the second half boosted the Bahrainis who pounced on a Filipino side that was a shadow of its own self in their previous duel in Bulacan last June.
Despite the presence of an energetic Filipino gallery inside the stadium, the disappointment from the Azkals camp was palpable right after the final whistle and for once some players struggled for words in describing how they felt.
It had been a punishing journey for the Azkals and while they got plenty of encouragement in the scoreless draw against North Korea in Pyongyang last week, they didn’t have enough gas on their tanks to come away with a result here.
“The loss is very raw and I think it’s going to be for the next few days when the guys realize what an opportunity we’ve missed,” said veteran defender Rob Gier, who sat on the bench due to injury.
The loss puts the Azkals’ World Cup qualifying bid in serious jeopardy with three games remaining in their schedule. The Azkals are still in third in their group with seven points, but advancing to the third round is now a long shot.
“We have to deal with this result and the near impossible task of getting nine points in three games to give ourselves a chance (to make third round),” said Azkals manager Dan Palami.