Azkals put up gallant stand in narrow loss to Uzbeks

TASHKENT— The Philippines put up a brave stand against one of Asia’s elite sides before ultimately falling short on a cold Thursday night here.

The Azkals frustrated the formidable Uzbeks for long periods only to absorb a 0-1 defeat in their Asian Cup and World Cup Qualifying clash at a jampacked Bunyodkor Stadium.

Defender Anzur Ismailov’s glancing header at the hour mark lifted the Uzbeks who dominated possession.

A superb performance on goal from Neil Etheridge kept the Azkals in the match up until the end.

Well drilled and organized, the Azkals proved tough to break down even after playing with 10 men in the last 80 minutes.

The Azkals didn’t pick up a point but their battling performance showed the squad’s resilience – something that they can build on when they face North Korea in Manila on Tuesday.

“I’m not happy because we lost but I have to compliment the team for fighting for 90 minutes,” said coach Thomas Dooley who missed several players from his regular starting eleven due to injuries and suspension. “It was a game where we had to put out heart in and we did.”

Making his first start in the qualifiers, OJ Porteria was sent off for a foul on defender Egor Kremits 10 minutes into the match.

Dooley wasn’t happy with the Japanese referee Ryuji Sato’s decision pointing out that it was only Porteria’s first foul of the match and a booking would have been enough.

Etheridge then produced a string of outstanding saves denying Server Djeparov, Igor Sergeev and Odil Akmehdov as the keeper redeemed himself from his error-strewn game in the 1-5 loss in Manila last September.

“We had an incredible goalkeeper who kept us in the game,” said Dooley.