By Angelo L. Gutierrez (philstar.com)
MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang today commended the Philippine Azkals despite losing to Kuwait in a heart-pounding game last night, ending their hope of entering the World Cup.
"We congratulate them on the heart and bravery that our Philippine team showed," deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said in a press briefing in Malacañang.
Valte said that despite the loss, the Philippine Azkals should be commended for showing the world that Filipinos can also play competitively in football.
"We know that this will not be the end for them. This may be the end of their campaign this year, but we are confident that our team will bounce back," she said.
Valte urged Filipinos to continue supporting the Azkals despite the loss. She also courted support for other Filipino athletes, who have shown determination in their own fields of sports.
The Azkals were stopped by Kuwait's Al Azraq after a 90-minute encounter for the 2014 Fifa world Cup Asian Qualifiers Second Round at the Rizal Memorial Stadium last night.
The Azkals broke the first score of the game, but the Kuwaitis bounced back and stole a 2-1 win from the Filipinos.
Together with the 3-0 verdict they posted in Kuwait last Saturday, Al Azraq won the two-game series on goal aggregate, 5-1, to earn a berth in the third round and dash the Azkals’ World Cup hopes at least for now.
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