Azkals left with draw after late defensive slip vs Malaysians

MANILA, Philippines—Filipino-German striker Denis Wolf scored his first international goal, but the Philippines was denied of a famous victory after Suzuki Cup champions Malaysia snatched a 1-1 draw with a late equalizer at the Rizal Memorial Stadium Wednesday night.

In the first meeting between two squads that reached the knockout stage of the Suzuki Cup two years ago, Wolf opened the scoring with a diving header off a long throw by defender Jason Sabio in the 34th minute to the delight of the close to 8,000 home fans.

The Azkals played some glittering attacking football for long stretches, but they were made to pay for their failure to finish off the Malaysians deep in injury time.

Substitute Ahmad Shakr Ali faked Sabio, sending the previously rock-solid defender sliding on the pitch, before firing past Neil Etheridge with his left foot for the leveler in the 91st minute.

“We were unlucky but it was a fair result,” said Azkals coach Michael Weiss.

The Azkals got off to a lively start with Wolf and Phil Younghusband testing Norazlan Razali, before they finally found the breakthrough.

Sabio had sent a couple of long throws that caused trouble inside the Malaysian box. With the Malaysians caught napping, Wolf struck it low with his head and found the bottom corner.

Malaysia looked a step slower as it failed to train since arriving last Monday.

But Safee Sali looked dangerous up front and he came close with a shot that went wide. Safiq Rahim, the skipper, also failed to find the target after a fine layoff from Safee.

Malaysia started the livelier team in the second half, but Safee was surprisingly wasteful, skying a shot in the 46th minute.

Etheridge produced a string of fine saves, while Angel Guirado showed some fine skill on the other end with a curling shot that just bounced off the bar.