Crack pair Schrock, Borromeo to miss WC leg in Kuwait after incurring 2 yellow cards

MANILA, Philippines — The task of beating Kuwait just got harder for the Philippine Azkals.

Skipper Aly Borromeo and crack midfielder Stephan Schrock will have to sit out the opening leg clash against the powerhouse from the Gulf region on July 23 after incurring two yellow cards in the first-round of the 2014 Fifa World Cup qualifying victory over Sri Lanka.

Both Borromeo and Schrock picked up a yellow card in each of the two legs against the Sri Lankans, whom the Azkals drubbed, 4-0, Sunday at the Rizal Memorial Stadium for a 5-1 aggregate win.

The information was confirmed to the Philippine Daily Inquirer by Cathy Rivilla, an Asian Football Confederation match commissioner, who earlier said that the yellow cards in the first round will not be carried over to the next round.

It turned out that the yellow cards are only wiped out after the second round.

The absence of Borromeo, a central defender, and Schrock, an attacking midfielder, could prove to be a telling blow for the Azkals, who might also miss Fil-Dutch standout Paul Mulders because of club commitments.

Borromeo and Schrock, however, will be eligible for the Manila leg on July 28.

The 30-year-old Mulders, who signed a two-year deal with top-flight Dutch club ADO Den Haag only recently, was deployed as leftback in the absence of Ray Jonsson.

Mulders said he would have to check if his club could release him for the Kuwait clash.

Jonsson and midfielder Jerry Lucena are expected to be back for the Kuwait matches.

Azkals manager Dan Palami also said Phil Younghusband, despite cramping after scoring two goals against Sri Lanka Sunday, has been seen fit enough for the second round.

Finally flashing their newfound attacking strength that was further honed in training camp in Germany, the Azkals rolled over the Sri Lankans with their quick, short passing to reach the second round for the first time.

And Philippine Football Federation president Mariano “Nonong” Araneta sees big things ahead for the Azkals.

“Give this team 10 more games and we will be a force to reckon with in Asia,” said Araneta, a former national player himself.

“I think that the performance against Sri Lanka showed we can play quality football. It was not about the score but the way they were playing. The ball was always on the ground and most of our attacks were coming from short passes.”