No time to sulk, Azkals look to move on after China rout

Philippine Azkals Photo by: Tristan Tamayo/Inquirer.net

GUANGZHOU—There’s little time to sulk for the Philippine Azkals on the heels of their worst loss in 15 years here.

With a crucial AFC Asian Cup Qualifier coming up against Tajikistan in Dushanbe, the Azkals quickly shrugged off a heavy 1-8 defeat to China last Wednesday night in a friendly at Tianhe Stadium here.

The team will try to figure out what went wrong against a strong Chinese side, which has now won 13 straight matches against the Philippines.

While the attack looked threatening for most of the first half, the Azkals’ defense was exposed time and again by the technically gifted and more cohesive Chinese team. The loss was tough to take for the team with several players getting into a heated argument at the changing room after the match.

“The game showed us how much we have to work to play at that level in Asia,” said coach Thomas Dooley who is now focusing on the Tajikistan match on Tuesday.