The Azkals, Philippine national men’s
football team, continues to go through the hard battle of the FIFA World Cup
qualifiers with the recently held match against higher-ranked DPR Korea
Football Association on October 8 at Kim Il-sung Stadium, Pyongyang, North
Korea.
North Korea had already risen above Bahrain,
Uzbekistan, and Yemen in Group H of the qualifiers. Now, the Azkals, considered
as the first Philippine sports team to enter this isolated kingdom, were also
the first team to ever match-up with NoKor in its home soil.
This goalless draw brought the Azkals to
second position in Group H with seven points (2-1-1 win-draw-loss). This is a much
sought-after boost after a shocking defeat from Uzbekistan. North Korea
remained on the group’s apex with 10 points (3-1-0) despite dropping a point
for the first time in the history of FIBA qualifiers.
Both Azkals and NoKor wore their game faces
on and were fearless with each other. Amidst the huge crowd cheering for the
home team, Azkals mustered all courage and tighten the defense with the towering
goalkeeper Neil Etheridge.
Immediately after the whistle, the battle was
tensed and Azkals kept the Koreans engaged in every corner. Consequently,
Koreans used long shots, using their height advantage like 6-foot-3 striker Pak
Kwang-ryong, who was heavily guarded by Amani Aguinaldo.
Jerry Lucena, together with 19-year-old Luke
Woodland, held the backline intact and sturdy from the continuous attacks from
the host team.
Then here comes Stephan Schrock with a fine
pass to misfiring Korean Daisuke Sato before the halftime.
As the 50,000 Korean crowd hoorayed deafening
cheers for their home team, it wasn’t enough to fright the visiting team,
especially with the last 10 minutes of the game where the dauntless Etheridge
went Superman and deflected two straight supposedly game-winning shots.
Azkals coach Thomas Dooley applied a
different strategy with this match. The “conservative approach” was used;
making the team less aggressive, managing time, and maintained poised and focused
on the dead-ball situations.
It is not over until the soccer lady sings
for Azkals, as for Tuesday, October 13, the team will fly to Bahrain for
another face-off with the host country since they beat them 2-1.
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