Azkals suffer shutout in Thailand 2 weeks ahead of Suzuki Cup
MANILA, Philippines – The Phl Azkals got a rude awakening of what to expect in the AFF Suzuki Cup after Thailand blanked them, 3-0, Sunday night in Nakhon Ratchasima on the road.
The War Elephants continued their mastery over the higher-ranked Azkals as they showed their true mettle on the field in this friendly two weeks ahead of the tournament.
Mongkol Thokosarai opened the scoring for Thailand with a header in the first half. The Azkals never recovered as they yielded two more goals in the second half.
Prakit Deeprom doubled Thailand’s lead just nine minutes into the second half while Kroekrit Thawikan sealed the shutout with a resounding goal in the 74th minute.
“I’m not happy that we lost but on the other side, the Suzuki Cup is more important. It was a good game for us to see what to expect in the Suzuki Cup,” Azkals coach Thomas Dooley said.
The loss was the Azkals’ 14th straight and 15th in 17 meetings overall.
The Phl national team will wrap up their preparation for the Suzuki Cup with a home match against Cambodia on Nov. 14 at the Rizal Memorial Stadium. They will open their campaign in the regional meet against Laos on Nov. 22 in Vietnam.
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