Azkals Run Out Of Miracles Against Kuwait

Jaemark Tordecilla, InterAKTV

Phil Younghusband and the Azkals' World Cup dream ended at the hands of Kuwait, one of the best teams in Asia. InterAKTV/Hana Grace Belo

The Philippine national men’s football team lost to mighty Kuwait, 2-1, at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium on Thursday, ending the Azkals’ 2014 FIFA World Cup dream.

Al-Asraq advanced to the next round of qualifiers on account of its 5-1 aggregate victory over the Philippines in the tie, buoyed by its 3-0 victory in the first leg in Kuwait on Saturday.

In a deep hole to begin the game, the Azkals came out with guns ablaze, inspired by some 13,000 fans on hand to cheer on the country’s football darlings. But at every turn, the Filipinos were frustrated by the Kuwaitis, who just seemed bigger, quicker, and more skilled on the pitch.

Kuwait made good on coach Goran Tufegdzic’s promise not to play defensive football, keeping their attack up despite their aggregate cushion. Only the heroic goalkeeping of Neil Etheridge prevented the Azkals from getting into a bigger hole early in the game, after the Philippines’ back four had several lapses on defense.

The Gulf Cup and West Asian Cup champions seemed about ready to sit on a nil-nil score going into half-time, but the Azkals kept charging late in stoppage time in the first half. Chieffy Caligdong battled two defenders to keep the possession alive for Stephan Schrock, who blasted a 25-yard bomb that hit the back of the net, bringing the house down.

The Azkals looked visibly energized after the break, pressing on the attack. They caught a lucky break at the 58th minute when Kuwaiti midfield Fahad Al-Ebrahim was sent off after getting his second yellow card, leaving Al-Asraq with just ten men on the field.

But hopes of a Philippine comeback were dashed by Kuwaiti star Yousef Naser, who struck a long bomb past Etheridge just three minutes later.

Needing to score four goals to win, the Azkals tried to move forward with the attack, but repeatedly came up empty-handed. The strategy backfired on the Filipinos as Kuwait’s Waleed Jumah scored on a counter-attack to put the game out of reach.

Despite the loss, the Azkals acquainted themselves well, hanging with one of the best teams in Asia and nearly pulling off a draw.

“I want to congratulate my team on a fantastic effort,” said Azkals coach Hans Michael Weiss. “The Philippines has a lot of potential. Give us a little more time.”

The Rizal Memorial crowd seemed to agree, and continued to shower their players love long after the final whistle sounded, ready to cheer on the Azkals once more in their next outing.