Coach sees bright side after loss to Uzbekistan

MANILA, Philippines - Coach Thomas Dooley took on the job of a fatherly figure to a crestfallen bunch of Azkals following the 1-5 beatdown they received from Uzbekistan.

“I told them how difficult it was. Now we know we just have to move on and keep our heads up,” said Dooley, optimistic his wards will recover quickly as they look ahead to the next assignment in the Fifa World Cup qualifiers against North Korea in Pyongyang on Oct. 8.

“I don’t think it (lopsided loss) will (adversely) affect the team’s confidence. We know from the beginning we can lose to Uzbekistan and we lost to Uzbekistan. Now we found out what we have to do (next game) against North Korea, which is stepping up and playing football,” Dooley said.

Uzbekistan, the highest-ranked side in Group H, pounced on the Azkals’ weakness in dealing with chipped balls on defense to score the five lethal goals – Odil Akhmerov’s opening salvo that slipped through the legs of Neil Etheridge barely 43 minutes in and the twin braces of Sardov Rashirov and Igor Sergeev.

“From the first kick, we already started in the wrong direction and after the first goal, everything we tried to do was gone. And they knew our weaknesses so that made it a more difficult game,” said Dooley.

The Azkals tried to mount a rally with key subs like Stephan Schrock and Kevin Ingreso helping create scoring chances in the second half. Post-game stats showed the Azkals managed eight shots overall but only two were on target against the Uzbeks, who had 13 attempts, with six on target.

“For teams like Uzbekistan, you give them five chances, they score almost everything you give them. And teams at that level will make you pay for mistakes,” said team manager Dan Palami.

“They’re at a higher level but I think the next time we play them (in the away match in Tashken in March 2016), it’s not going to be as lopsided a score. While the score may be that (5-1), I think the game gave us something to look into; we’re able actually get into box, create opportunities against them. It’s just that we have to finish those next time,” he added.

The Azkals will take a 10-day rest before returning to training camp for next month’s WCQ outings.  Part of the buildup will be an international friendly against Vietnam that the Philippine Football Federation is arranging on Oct. 3 at Rizal Memorial.