After the Philippine Azkals held top-seeded China to a scoreless draw on Tuesday evening, coach Scott Cooper remains hopeful of the Philippines' chances in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
"We are satisfied with the result, we were pleased with the performance, but we wanted to win," said Cooper following their game at the Panaad Park and Stadium in Bacolod City.
The Philippines is in third spot in Group A with a 1-1-1 win-draw-loss card, behind Syria and China, which are the leading candidates of reaching the third round.
The Azkals will have another qualifying match on Nov. 14 against Maldives away from home. And then, it will be against solo-leading Syria on Nov. 19.
They banked on the effort of goalkeeper Neil Etheridge as the Azkals came away with their best game against China, which has beaten the Philippines thrice since 2017.
Etheridge's saves throughout the game kept the Chinese scoreless for 90 minutes.