by Peter Atencio - Manila Standard Today
SMALL consolation, perhaps, but Goran Tufegdzic, the Serbian coach of Kuwait’s national football squad, which beat the Philippine Azkals, 2-1, gave the nationals high marks for their gritty stand last Thursday during their rain-soaked match at the Rizal Memorial football stadium.
The Azkals, who also bowed to the Kuwaitis in the first match of their two-game series for the second round of their 2014 World Cup qualifying match, 0-3, played their guts out before 13,000 screaming fans but failed to keep pace with the more skillful Kuwaitis.
“As you see, there were many chances for scoring (for the Philippines) in the first half. They made it tough for our team,” said Tufegdžic, who steered the Kuwaitis to the third round with an aggregate of 5-1.
A total of 14 countries throughout Asia made it to the next round during simultaneous matches played during the day, with Thailand and Singapore joining Indonesia as the only football squads from Southeast Asia making the grade.
Indonesia beat Turkmenistan, 4-3, in Jakarta and made it via a n a 5-4 aggregate, Singapore drew with Malaysia, 1-1, but the Singaporeans advanced on a 6-4 tally. Thailand also played Palestine to a 2-all draw, but the Thais qualified counting their 1-0 win in the first leg.
Tufegdžic said the Al-Azraqs had a difficult time adjusting to the rains brought by the recent typhoon, but relied on their poise and experience, especially after losing Fahad Al-Ebrahim, who was thrown out after receiving a red card.
The Azkals scored the first goal on Fil-German Stephan Schrock’s grounder at the third minute of injury time at the end of the first half.
But the Al-Azraqs scored two goals in succession, the first courtesy of a looping shot from Yousef Nasser, which sailed past the head of goalie Neil Etheridge in the 61st minute, and the second from Waleed Jumah, who stormed past an approaching Etheridge and rolled in Kuwait’s second marker in the 85th.
Tufegdžic said he hopes to see the Philippines making it past the second round in the next qualifying matches in 2015.
Azkals coach Hans Michael Weiss said there were plenty of lessons learned in their series against the Kuwaitis.
“This game has been brutal and it shows how bitter and hard football can be. Hard lessons have been learned and taken. We have young players in the team. We have a good balance here. They can take this defeat. They have to take it because of the fact that we have to acknowledge that we have a very strong opponent,” said Weiss.
No comments:
Post a Comment