There will be four countries in Asia that will qualify for the World Cup Finals and the Azkals’ chance of making it to the magic four is looking good.
The national team has already won twice in the ongoing competition having won over Bahrain 2-1 last June 11 at the Philippine Sports Stadium in Bocaue, Bulacan followed by a 2-0 victory against Yemen last June 16.
Azkals manager Dan Palami described the Azkals’ chances as promising as the team is already ahead with its two recent victories.
“It’s a tall order for us to make the third round, especially with our group that includes some very strong teams. But the team (Azkals) got off to a good start with two wins and the performance was also very satisfying, so it’s really promising,” Palami said.
“We are not only winning but playing good football as well. It’s a team that the country can be proud of, which is what I always wanted to form,” Palami added.
Top Azkals player Phil Younghusband said the team should play better than they did against Yemen and Bahrain in order to win against Uzbekistan
We have to play better than we did against Bahrain and Yemen,” said Younghusband, who is a consistent top scorer for the Azkals in previous competitions.
In a draw held at in Kuala Lumpur last April 14, the Philippine team was included in Group H which include Uzbekistan, Bahrain, North Korea and Yemen.
Japan and South Korea are two of the Asian countries with most appearances in the World Cup Finals.
