PH Azkals say goodbye to Asian Cup bid after loss against Kyrgyzstan

“Our #AsianCup2019 campaign may have ended, but the dream will always be alive. MARAMING SALAMAT PO! We’ll be back stronger than ever to #DoTheImpossible” (Photo: @TheAzkalsPH/Twitter)

Despite it being a historic night for the Philippine team as Stephan Schrock ended the team’s goal drought at the 81st minute of the game with a free kick, the Philippine Azkals pack their bags to come home after losing to Kyrgyz Republic during their first game of the AFC Asian Cup 2019 at the Rashid Stadium last Wednesday, January 16. The score ended at 3-1 in favor of opponents Kyrgyzstan.

The Azkals were not able to make it to the top 16 teams of Asia’s most prestigious tournament as Vitalji Lux from their opponents hit a hat trick during the night – three consecutive goals at the 24th minute, 51st minute, and 77th minute. Lux’s third shot came off a rebound from teammate Mirlan Murzaev’s attempt that hit the post. At the 80th minute, Filipino Stephan Schrock fired back with the Azkals’ first ever goal in the Philippine cup. Javier Patino and Patrick Reichelt had their attempts near the end of the game as well, energized by the entry of the Younghusband brothers, but their shots were unsuccessful.

Team Philippines is winless during their AFC Asian Cup campaign, landing in Group D of the tournament after defeats from Korea and China.

Prior to the match, Philippine head coach Sven-Goran Eriksson told the media that he anticipated a difficult feat with Group C’s Kyrgyzstan, however, “as long as it’s a possibility, [they] have to fight for it,” stating, “I am sure that our players will go out and fight and do everything to try and win the game. I am 100 percent of that.” He added, “We have shown that we can play football. We are not going home yet, and we will see what happens in the last group game vs Kyrgyz.”