Azkals Lose to Kuwait, Bow Out of 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers

Kuwait spoiled the Philippines’ bid to advance to the next round of the 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers on Thursday night during the second leg of their tie at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.

The Kuwaitis scored a 2-1 win during the match for a 5-1 aggregate tally that will take them to the third round of the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier.

The Azkals (in white) scored the first goal at halftime courtesy of mid-fielder Stephan Schrock to the delight of the crowd. Unfortunately, Kuwait (in blue) was able to equalize the leaderboard in the early minutes of the second half courtesy of Yousef Nasser.

The visitors showcased a fantastic defense and barred the Azkals’ aggressiveness in meeting their target of 4 goals. And to add insult to injury, the Al-Azraq scored another goal at the 84th minute of the match courtesy of Rob Gier finishing the game with the scores 2-1 on the leaderboard in favor of the visitors.

Azkals coach Michael Weiss commended the Philippine team for its valiant effort against the Kuwaiti squad.

“I want to congratulate my team for a fantastic effort,” he said.

The Philippines now have 4 years to prepare for the 2018 World Cup Qualifier.

Right after the match, Kuwait is now 95th in the world ranking while the Philippine Azkals dropped to no. 162.

Meanwhile, neighboring country–Indonesia–was able to beat Turkmenistan in their tie-breaking match with an aggregate score of 5 over 4 and became the first Southeast Asian country to advance to the third round of Asian (AFC) qualifier.

Myanmar, Vietnam and Laos also failed to advance while Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore are still playing their respective 2nd leg matches at this very moment.

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Philippine Azkals More Accustomed to Play in the Rain

Can a wet and rainy Rizal Memorial Stadium an advantage to our very own Azkals with their match against the Kuwait Al-Azraq this afternoon?

In a report by Dyan Castillejo on Bandila last night, it could help the Philippine Azkals to hit some goals because they are more accustomed to play in the rain unlike their Kuwaitis counterpart.

Not to mention the home advantage because it has been proven in the past that the Azkals play exceptionally well when they are in their home land.

The Azkals struggled against the Kuwaiti heat in their 3-0 loss to Al-Azraq last Sunday morning, the first leg of their FIFA qualifying match. This could be the other way around now that the second leg of the match is being held in Manila.

Another plus factor for the crucial win by the Azkals today is the presence of defender Aly Borromeo and midfielder Stephan Schrock. Aly and Stephan are expected to provide more defensive and offensive options for the Azkals.

The 2 Azkals sat out the 1st game against Kuwait due to the 1-game suspension they received in the series versus Sri Lanka.

The Azkals need at least a 4-0 win against Kuwait to advance in the 3rd round of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers. The pessimists believe it’s impossible. But when adrenaline kicks in with national pride, a miracle is never impossible.

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