Azkals on the loose, eye berth vs Turkmen

Match tonight

(Rizal Memorial Football Stadium)

7:30 p.m. – Philippines vs Turkmenistan

MANILA, Philippines - Two days after showing their offensive might in an 8-0 whitewash of Cambodia in a power-interrupted, rain-delayed match, the Philippine Azkals take on a more formidable foe in Turkmenistan tonight, seeking to sustain the fiery form for a berth in the 2014 AFC Challenge Cup main tourney in Maldives.

The Azkals and the Turkmen carry identical six points on two wins going into their 7:30 p.m. match at Rizal Memorial Stadium, but thanks to the eight-goal margin they authored against Cambodia on Palm Sunday, the Pinoy booters enjoy the edge in goal difference, 11 versus 10, and thus could afford a draw and still book a ticket to Maldives.

A standoff will give the two sides identical seven points at the end of the Group E qualifiers with the Azkals emerging the group winner on higher goal difference. 

A loss, especially via a big margin, might complicate matters for the Azkals as they would end up with six points, the same tally of the runners-up of the other groups, Bangladesh (+5 goal difference), India (+4), and Tajikistan (+3). The two best runners-up would be determined based on goal difference and in this scenario, Phl XI hopes to maintain a superior GD to clinch one of the two remaining slots in Maldives.

To avoid the troubles and finish the qualifiers in a blaze, the Azkals should pick up the full points against Turkmenistan, who are heads and shoulders above the Angkor Warriors in skills.

“We want to win every match, but we want to play with a smart head. We can’t go like today (Sunday) and get caught in the counter-attack,” said coach Michael Weiss, expecting his talented, experienced and smart crew to respond accordingly.

“We don’t need (to win) but we can; this is our strength so we’ll observe the match once more and the focus is really on the strengths of Turkmenistan. But I think we showed that we’re dominating here on this pitch. We also want to do that against Turkmenistan but of course, not with the same aggressiveness and risk we did by sending big numbers forward against Cambodia,” he added.

Turkmenistan trampled Cambodia last Friday, 7-0, giving the Azkals a glimpse of their firepower. The Central Asians also hold psychological edge against the hosts, having scored a 2-1 win when they faced off last year in the Challenge Cup semifinals in Nepal.