Azkals suffer huge setback against North Korea

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MANILA – The Azkals’ buildup for the AFF Suzuki Cup hit another roadblock after a 1-3 defeat to North Korea at the Rizal Memorial Stadium on Monday night.

Pak Kwang-Ryong opened the scoring for the visitors as he soared over everybody at the penalty box for a 10th minute header off a corner kick that went past Roland Muller and into the goal.

Pak Song-Chol doubled the lead with a 38th minute strike at the right wing.

The Azkals had their first huge crack at the goal in the 67th minute, but Kevin Ingreso muffed the chance following a scramble at the box and Jong Il-Gwan turned the tides en route to North Korea’s third goal of the night.

The Azkals still put up a fight as Iain Ramsay scored a goal in the 76th minute, but it turned out to be their last gasp.

North Korea avenged its 2-3 defeat to the Azkals on March 29 that eventually eliminated the team from World Cup contention.

The visiting side north of the 38th Parallel also bounced back from a disastrous 2-5 defeat at Vietnam last week.

The Azkals, on the other hand, lost for the second straight time at home following their loss to Bahrain on Friday night by the same scoreline.