GOAL SCORERS. Philippine Azkals celebrate victory over North Korea. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
Though the one to nail the dramatic winner in the Azkals’ 3-2 conquest over North Korea on Tuesday, Iain Ramsay said that the team will always be the front and center in every success of the squad.
“I think regardless on who would’ve scored for the team, it will still be a great feeling,” he said.
The Fil-Aussie midfielder was left unmarked when Javier Patino flipped him the ball as he scored the match-clinching goal at the 90th minute.
READ: GALLERY: Philippine Azkals slip past North Korea
“It’s always a nice feeling to score the winner, given the circumstances we’re in, as well as us being against a tough opponent,” said Ramsay. “I’m happy to score the goal, but I’m just happy to come in the second half, contribute to the team, help them fight to the very end and get the win.”
It was also a sweet victory for the Azkals, who had to fight from behind after the fancied Korean squad took a 2-1 lead at the 48th minute.
“A lot of people thought we’ll probably lose that game. It might be cliche but we showed the Filipino spirit,” he said. “We might not like the circumstances, but we stayed together and fought hard until the very end and we showed it tonight. We had a great team performance.”
READ: Blitz goals help Azkals shock North Koreans
Fighting from behind for the majority of the second half, the Philippine squad stayed the course and, eventually, stole the match with two goals in the last 10 minutes.
“What got us the win today was the character we showed,” said Ramsay. “We kept on believing that we’ll get something out of the game and we did.”
The Azkals finished their campaign in the second round of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers at third place in Group H with 10 points from three wins and a draw, enough to propel the team to the third round of the Asian Cup.