abs-cbnNEWS.com
MANILA, Philippines – In their second day in Ulan Bator, Mongolia, the Philippine team Azkals checked out the football pitch they will be playing on against the Mongolian Blue Wolves this Tuesday.
The Azkals said they are excited to outpace their opponents in the city's National Sports Stadium as they clash in the second leg of the AFC Challenge Cup.
"The field is very big, which means there's a lot of space for us to play," midfielder Phil Younghusband told ABS-CBN News.
"Iyong pitch nila, okay naman eh," team captain Aly Boromeo added.
The multi-purpose National Sports Stadium has an artificial pitch suited for football matches.
It has a seating capacity of 20,000—apparently larger than Bacolod City's Panaad Stadium at 15,500.
Panaad Stadium, meanwhile, was the venue of the Azkals' home game.
The Azkals, who dominated the Blue Wolves, 2-0, will have to beat or tie with their foreign rivals to advance into the Challenge Cup group stage.
Confidence vs Cold Weather
With their eyes on the prize, the Azkals stressed that their gameplay will still be offensive..
Phil Younghusband said he is hoping to strike the ball on the goal again, as he did in the first leg where he contributed a goal.
"Honestly I expect 2 or 3 goals," he said, "Hopefully a better result than the last game."
However, the players said the weather remains their biggest threat. The temperature in Ulan Bator has reportedly dropped as low as -10 degrees Celsius.
The Azkals, nevertheless, said they will give their best hard to win the game.
"It's nothing than what we were fighting on in Bacolod. It was warm in there, the stadium is not great. But we need to be professional still. Hopefully we can pull it together," Simon Greatwich said.
In the middle of the day, the Azkals also greeted Filipino fans who dropped by their hotel for autograph-signing and photo-ops. – With report and photos from Dyan Castillejo, ABS-CBN News
The Philippines-Mongolia match will be shown LIVE March 15, 12 noon on Studio 23, with a replay at 7p.m. The match will also be shown 3 p.m. on BALLS SkyCable Ch. 34.
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