By Peter Atencio
The Philippine Azkals bungled their scoring chances in the second half and dropped a 0-2 loss to Vietnam at the start of the second round of 2026 FIFA World Cup AFC qualification on Thursday evening at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium.
Goals from Nguyen Van Toan and Pham Tuan Hai in the 16th-minute mark and within the four-minute extended time settled the issue in favor of the Vietnamese side.
Around 10,378 fans showed up for the game and the Azkals made an effort to impress them.
Naturalized player Bienvenido Marañon’s attempt at the 85th minute missed when his volley went wide right and past Vietnam goalkeeper Dang Van Lam.
Patrick Reichelt also tried, but he got tackled near the box, as the Azkals tried to equalize after Nguyen’s goal.
Marañon and Stephan Schrock’s free kicks just got blocked by the Vietnamese side’s defensive wall.
Another chance came when Santiago Rublico attacked earlier in the 77th minute, but his bid inside the box went wide.
“We were going toe to toe with Vietnam, considering the chances we had in the second half. Maybe, a draw would have been a fair result,” said Azkals’ coach Hans Michael Weiss.
The Azkals will face Indonesia next their Group E match on Tuesday, November 21.
Nguyen Dinh Bac scored Vietnam’s second marker, with a blast past a crowded defensive line outside of the box with the clock running out.
