Rescued by late equalizing goals so many times in the past, the Azkals were the ones to yield the tying score Monday—this time to Myanmar—and settled for a 1-1 stalemate at the start of the group qualifying phase of the AFC Challenge Cup at the Thuwana Stadium here.
James Younghusband gave the Azkals the lead with a well-taken penalty kick in the 76th minute to silence the crowd of about 5,000, but Khin Maung Lwin saved the home side’s blushes with a free kick in the second minute of injury time.
It was a heartbreaker of sorts for the Azkals, who defended stoutly in the opening half before producing timely, dangerous counter-attacks in the second.
But it wasn’t enough as the stadium exploded on Lwin’s late goal, while the Azkals left the pitch in despair just after the final whistle.
“It was the correct result,” said Azkals German coach Hans Michael Weiss. “We dominated the second half but we were too defensive in the first half.”
The Azkals had Neil Etheridge to thank for a string of impressive saves in the opening half, while Angel Aldeguer Guirado impressed in his Azkals debut with his pace and trickery.
It was Guirado’s lofted ball for substitute Yanti Barsales that proved vital in the play that led to the penalty.
The oldest member of the squad at 38 years old, Barsales, coming in for nephew Ian Araneta at the start of the second half, had been causing trouble for the Burma defense with his speed.
He was the first to latch onto Guirado’s ball, forcing the Myanmar keeper Kyaw Zin Htet to go off his line and unleash a clumsy challenge that merited a red card and a penalty.
Younghusband, who was also on target in the 1-2 defeat to Mongolia last week, sent substitute keeper Pyaye Pho Yaung the wrong way for his fifth senior level goal since debuting for the national team five years ago in Bacolod.
A small group of Filipino fans in the stadium waved flags and exchanged high fives as the Filipinos moved a goal ahead.
Guirado nearly doubled the lead with a stinging shot just outside the box three minutes later, while substitutes Yannick Tuason and William Espinosa found themselves with plenty of space, but could not muster a good chance that could have sealed the victory.
Article Source: Inquirer.net
A draw is still a point and we should be contented. Let's focus now on the next two games. We must win it and win it big!
ReplyDeleteI agree...Thanks for dropping by.
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