This was how Azkals coach Thomas Dooley assessed the defeat of the Philippine national football team against Uzbekistan Tuesday night in a 2018 World Cup qualifying game at the Philippine Sports Stadium in Bocaue, Bulacan.
“We had a bad day, they (Uzbeks) had a good day,” Dooley said.
The Philippine Azkals’ caliber will finally be put to the test when they faced a highly-favored Uzbekistan at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 8, at the Philippine Sports Stadium in Bocaue, Bulacan.
After winning their first two World Cup qualifying matches against Bahrain and Yemen and a tune-up game with Maldives last week, the Azkals are going into the competition with momentum and confidence on their side.
With less than a week before the pivotal match against a strong Uzbekistan squad, the Philippine national football team, popularly known as Azkals, is appealing to Filipinos to show up at the game venue and cheer for the team.
Azkals coach Thomas Dooley and players Phil Younghusband, Neil Etheridge and Misagh Bahadoran said the fans’ presence and cheers will motivate and spur on the team and have an impact on their game. They were interviewed after a late afternoon to early evening practice session last Tuesday at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Malate, Manila.
Members of the Philippine national football team, popularly known as Azkals, are now hard in training at the Philippine Sports Stadium in Bocaue, Bulacan, in preparation for their crucial match against Uzbekistan, the highest ranked team in their bracket, on September 8.
The training sessions provide players with an opportunity not only to sharpen their skills and practice game plans but also for the members to jell and the new additions to integrate with the team. The Azkals will have to give their best knowing that Uzbekistan is the best squad in the group and the “most difficult team to play against,” according to Azkals coach Thomas Dooley.
With just more than a week to go before the much-anticipated Azkals-Uzbeks match on September 8, movie industry personalities have joined the call for Filipinos to support the Philippine national football team as it guns for its third straight win in the ongoing qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup.
In separate messages, TV hosts and actresses Coleen Garcia and Karylle and TV personality Ryan Bang called on people to watch the exciting game and buy their tickets now.
The Philippine Azkals must rack up more wins not only to qualify for the 2018 World Cup but also to increase football’s awareness in the country.
“We feel the pressure of winning not only to qualify (for the World Cup) but also for awareness of the sport in the country,” Azkals manager Dan Palami said.
The Philippine Azkals are working doubly hard as they try to seek their third win when they face Uzbekistan onSeptember 8 at the Philippine Sports Stadium in Bocaue, Bulacan, in the ongoing qualifying games for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
“We need all the support we can get because it’s a tough match," Azkals team manager Dan Palami said. "We need to work doubly hard to get a result against Uzbekistan."
Two senators have added fire to the growing excitement being generated by the approaching World Cup qualifying match between the Philippines and Uzbekistan on September 8 at the Philippine Sports Stadium in Bocaue, Bulacan.
In separate tweets, Senators Sonny Angara and Pia Cayetano made known their interest in the forthcoming match, with the latter calling on fans to support the Philippine national football team during games.
There will be changes in the composition of the Philippine Azkals when they face Uzbekistan in their FIFA World Cup qualifier match on Sept. 8 at the Philippine Sports Stadium in Bocaue, Bulacan.
The Philippine Football Federation has added three new players to replace defender Rob Gier, forward Mark Hartmann and goalkeeper Tomas Trigo. Gier was put on the back burner because of a knee injury while Hartmann and Trigo were taken out.
Mixed martial arts (MMA) superstar Brandon Vera has called on followers and football fans to support the upcoming match between the Philippine Azkals and Uzbekistan on Sept. 8 at the Philippine Sports Stadium in Bocaue, Bulacan.
Vera, who has more than 221,000 followers on Facebook alone, posted: “Azkals vs Uzbekistan on Sept. 8 at the Philippine Arena (referring to Philippine Sports Stadium). Watch it live!!! Ousss!!!!!” He accompanied it with the hashtags #WorldCupQualifier #pinoypride.
Facing their toughest test yet, Philippine Azkals skipper Phil Younghusband hopes the team can carry the momentum of the two early victories in the World Cup Qualifiers when they go up against powerhouse Uzbekistan on Sept. 8 at Philippine Sports Stadium.
The Azkals stunned Middle East powerhouse Bahrain, 2-1, at home, before blanking Yemen, 2-0, in Doha, Qatar last June 17 to gain a share of the lead with North Korea in Group H, considered as one of the toughest groups of the tournament that also serves as a qualifier for the 2019 Asian Cup in the UAE.
The Philippine Azkals recently won the friendly match against Hong Kong, and they did it even if the Chinese fans at the venue were not friendly at all.
The game was held on June 4, 2013 at the Mong Kok Stadium where fans of the Hong Kong team were a little more “passionate” than your typical football fans.
Philippine Azkals’ Anton del Rosario shows his rock hard abs on the cover of Garage magazine June 2013.
Dubbed as Star Athlete, the footballer is the perfect cover for the mag’s Sports and Style Issue.
The Philippine Azkals won the match against Turkmenistan Green Men, 1:0, on Tuesday, March 26, 2013, at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium.
It was the last game and Azkals emerged as the winner of the Group E qualifiers for the 2014 AFC Challenge Cup, earning a spot in the main draw in Maldives next year.
The Philippine Azkals won the 2014 AFC Challenge Cup Group E qualifier game against Cambodia with a score of 8-0.
The match was held at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium on Sunday, March 24. Phil Younghusband scored four goals, Javier Patiño scored two, and Stephan Schrock and Carli de Murga had one goal each.
UAAP back-to-back MVP Nico Salva negatively hit the headlines last night for tweeting negatively about the Philippine Azkals vs Singapore Lions football match, which the Azkals failed to win.
Salva posted on his Twitter account @nickobesalva: “Finally the boring football game on aktv is over. Now can you show the PBA game already?”
The first leg of the Philippine Azkals vs Singapore Lions match for the AFF Suzuki Cup 2012 semi-finals ended with neither team scoring a goal.
The game was held on Saturday at the Rizal Memorial Stadium, Manila.
Heart Evangelista is on the cover of Sense and Style magazine's 10th anniversary issue (December 2012-January 2013) with members of the Philippine Azkals.
The Azkals' win against Myanmar on Friday with a 2-0 score made the team move on to the AFG Suzuki Cup semifinals for the second consecutive time. Semis begin this Saturday at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.
Kirk Bondad was named Mister International 2025 during the Thailand-based pageant's finale that took place in Bangkok Thursday night. Ou...
