Azkals falter in tune-up vs second division German club

MANILA, Philippines—The Philippine Men’s Football team absorbed a 0-4 defeat against second division German squad  FC Ingolstadt in a tune-up Thursday as part of the Azkals’ laborious preparation for the 2014 World Cup Qualifiers.

The Azkals, who played sans key pieces like Stephan Shrock and Ray Jonsson, conceded all goals in the first half including a blunder by goalkeeper Neil Etheridge, wherein he steered the ball into the Philippines’ own net.

The German side doubled the score within the first twenty minutes before Etheridge’s miscue in the 30th, as he struggled severely in the muddy pitch.

The match was actually interrupted midway the first half because of heavy rainfall.

Ingolstadt pulled another goal back in the 40th minutes that set the final tally at 4-0, as the succeeding attacks were thwarted by the Philippines in the second half.

“The loss was good for us,” said skipper Aly Borromeo on his Twitter account. “They were a decent side with a ton of experience.”

The Philippines will play another tune-up game in Germany before flying out to Sri Lanka for the away leg of the first round qualifiers on June 29.

Source: FC Ingolstadt website