“On another day, we win that game. Unfortunately, not today.” Neil Etheridge
The Philippine Azkals settled for a 2:2 draw on Tuesday against Yemen in the AFC Asian Cup 2019 qualifiers. The game was played at Panaad Stadium in Bacolod City, Philippines.
The outcome enabled the team to retain leadership in Group F. The Azkals have 7 points, while Yemen is in second place with 5 points.
The Azkals had to come from behind twice in the game.
The draw was not good enough for the Younghusband brothers. “Slightly disappointed. At home playing against Yemen, we wanted to make sure we got the win.” Phil said. “The boys are really disappointed because we really wanted to win the game. We get another chance to beat Yemen next month and we are going to make it right.” James predicted. The two teams will play again in Qatar on October 10.
The Azkals were constantly exposed to counter attacks, and no player saw it more than the Cardiff City FC’s #1 goalkeeper, Neil Etheridge. “Defensively we were quite exposed at times. Yemen came here and did a job, counter-attacking us really well,” he said.
The match was televised, the product of hard work done by Azkals manager Dan Palami. “We wanted to make sure the game was televised for fans unable to come to Panaad Stadium. It was a very tough negotiation and a lot of people had to get involved. ”
Daisuke Sato, who plays for Danish club AC Horsens, did not play in the game. “I’ll be there to beat them next month,” he said on Twitter.
