Azkals draw with Sri Lanka in first tie of World Cup qualifier

06/29/2011 | 07:21 PM 

The Philippine Azkals' first round match against Sri Lanka ended in a 1-1 draw in their 2014 World Cup Asia group playoffs Wednesday at the Sugathadasa Stadium in Colombo Sri Lanka.

"I'm not the happiest man in the world but I'm not too disappointed. We take the result as it is and prepare for the match on Sunday," said Azkals' German coach Michael Weiss.

Sri Lanka drew first blood with Chathura Gunarathna's 43rd minute goal, while Azkals midfielder Nate Burkey leveled the count at the 50th minute.

Gunarathna scored on an indirect free kick 25 yards from the goal with the ball bouncing of Robert Gier and then passing under the right arm of Azkals keeper Neil Etheridge.

The Azkals tried to equalize after that goal but Sri Lanka keeper Manjula Fernando repeatedly foiled their attempts.

With Phil Younghusband not at 100 percent, Weiss decided to replace the top striker with Burkey at the 40th minute of the first half.

The younger Younghusband, who collided with a Sri Lankan player at midfield, had two near-goals before being pulled out.

Sri Lanka's rough game disrupted the Azkals' plays as tempers flared midway in the first half with James Younghusband, Aly Borromeo and Stephan Schrock given yellow cards for various offenses.

James Younghusband was booked by Bangladeshi referee Tayeb Shamsuzzaman for excessive complaining after his brother, Phil, went down and got injured.

Shamsuzzaman also issued yellow cards to Sri Lanka's Anton Nimal Fernando, Safraz Kaiz and Nadeeka Pushpakumara

The Nationals were aggressive at the start of the match and had several chances of scoring but Fernando kept standing in their way at the goal.

After half-time, the Azkals kept their emotions in check and regained their composure.

Burkey then came to the Azkals' rescue and leveled the match. He received a Chieffy Caligdong looping free kick and sent the ball into the goal with a header.

Azkals keeper Neil Etheridge, made up for missing Gunarathna's goal by deflecting Sri Lanka's later attempts to add more goals.

Schrock was a powerful presence on the pitch for the Azkals as the 24-year-old defender brought out his second division Bundesliga skills against the surprisingly fast-moving Sri Lankans.

An open question now is whether Phil Younghusband will be fit enough to play the home match on July 3. 

Cambodia, Nepal, Mongolia and Palestine overcame their respective opponents in other qualifying matches. - Earl Victor Rosero/Jon Perez/OMG, GMA News