Philippine Azkals celebrate victory over North Korea. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
The Philippine Azkals failed to advance to the third round of the 2018 Fifa World Cup qualifiers, but their stunning victory over North Korea gave team manager Dan Palami plenty of reasons to feel good about despite falling short on their bid.
The Azkals shocked North Korea, 3-2, on Tuesday at Rizal Memorial Football Stadium in a match that will be remembered for a very long time.
“Personally, it’s a step forward for the Philippines. It’s another milestone in our football history,” Palami said.
Ending the second round at third place with 10 points on three wins and a draw, Palami was pleased to see the team’s continuous development, capped off by this huge victory over a team which has just competed in the World Cup six years ago.
“For the last two games, we really played hard for 90 minutes. We showed the heart of the players, showed that we could compete with the best in Asia. We’re a step closer,” he said.
“This win is very historic because this is the first time we beat North Korea. One of the things na nakikita natin is we’re competing with better teams now. Before, though we’re winning games, we won them against the likes of Laos and Macau in the Long Teng Cup,” he added. “We have finally progressed to these kinds of games which have shown how much we have improved. We are happy with where we are.”
The Azkals gained an outright berth to the third round of the 2019 Asian Cup qualifiers, where they will vie for one of the 12 spots in the main tournament.