Azkals and Schrock, having a blast playing 7-a-side, shoot for semis

Stephan Schrock: 11-year PH career —THE AZKALS PHOTO

SHAH ALAM, Malaysia—Stephan Schrock and the Philippine Azkals at press time were seeking a spot in the semifinals of the Asia 7s Championship, a competition that brings a unique style of football.

“I think it’s a good mix of the [standard] 11-a-side and futsal,” Schrock told Manila-based reporters on Friday, a day after the Azkals opened the tournament by winning their first two games, first with a 6-1 rout of Hong Kong followed by a hard-fought 4-3 result over host Malaysia.

The Azkals wrapped up the classification-round play in Group B hours later with a 9-2 romp of India before heading to the knockout quarterfinals, where they’ll face the bottom team from Group A.

READ: Philippine Azkals beat host Malaysia in Asia 7s

The semifinals are on Saturday, with the final of the event organized by the group led by former Azkals defender Anton del Rosario, slated on Sunday at EV Arena in Elmina, a city located in this district.

Schrock and the Azkals have transitioned to the 7-a-side scene, where the pitch is smaller and the action faster and more physical. It’s like football’s version of basketball’s 3×3.

‘It’s pretty fast’

Under tournament rules, games are played over two 20-minute periods, followed by a comeback period where the trailing team must score a number of goals depending on the deficit it faces.

That showed against Malaysia, where the Azkals had to battle back from a pair of one-goal deficits to lead 3-2, before responding from the host’s equalizer in the comeback period by securing the win on Schrock’s winner.

READ: PH legend Schrock spearheads Azkals’ 7s bid

“It’s pretty fast, it’s more about the transition game, every mistake can get punished,” said Schrock. “And you can never be sure [of the result] because of the overtime, or the comeback period which they call. So it’s a good competition, a really, really lovely competition.”

Should the Azkals progress further, they may see stiff competition from other contenders in Japan, winner of the inaugural staging in 2023 at McKinley Hill in Taguig. The holders downed Singapore, 9-1, in one of its matches on opening day.

Malaysia split its two games after the loss to the Azkals, but is seen as a contender, especially playing on home soil.