The Philippine Azkals showed their aggressive side this time around as they blanked Guam, 3-0, in the joint 2022 FIFA World Cup and 2023 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers at the Sharjah Stadium on Friday evening (Manila time) at the United Arab Emirates.
Fil-Spanish booter Angel Guirado got the Philippines started on a bright note in the 12th minute, with defender Jefferson Tabinas passing the ball towards midfielder Oliver Bias.
After Bias eluded his marker, he crossed the ball towards Guirado for an easy tap into the net.
“Our standards going forward with the Philippines, we’ve set much higher than that. Our ambitions are to play much better football than that. This game we showed moments where we can attack,” said Azkals' coach Scott Cooper.
The Azkals’ second goal came in the 60th minute when returning midfielder Manny Ott sent the ball to midfielder Mark Winhoffer, who went for a header.
Guamanian booter Marcus Lopez managed to deflect the ball, but it still went into the net as the Philippines went on to score on an own goal.
Mark Hartmann added a third marker for the Philippines in the 88th minute with a free-kick.
The Philippines will now advance to the third round of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup after claiming a third win against a draw and three losses.
Meanwhile, China defeated Maldives, 5-0, later in the evening.
The Azkals are set to finish at least third in Group A regardless of the result of their final match against Maldives on Tuesday.
China’s 2-0 win last week over the Azkals formally eliminated the Philippines from the 2022 Fifa World Cup qualifiers.
