By Peter Atencio
The Philippine Azkals had lots of chances to score, but missed their opportunities.
Team skipper and Fil-British goalie Neil Etheridge said this after the Azkals fell behind in their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – Asian Football Confederation second round campaign.
“We had a lot of chances, we should have converted our chances,” said Etheridge after the Azkals were held to a 1-all standoff by Indonesia on Tuesday in front of 9,880 fans at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.
Patrick Reichelt gave the Philippines the lead in the 23rd minute after he shot past Indonesian goalkeeper Ernando Ari Sutaryadi.
After that, the Garudas went on the attack in the second half and surprised the Philippines in the 70th minute with forward Saddil Ramdami scoring equalizer.
“In this game, we have certain difficulties after our long journey. So, there are many factors affecting our performance. But we did not give up,” said Shin Tae Yong, coach of the Indonesian side.
The Azkals went for a late winner, but Reichelt’s shot went to straight at Sutaryadi and then Rublico’s magnificent solo attempt was deflected towards the crossbar.
Santi Rublico went for the golden opportunity to score his first international goal with the Azkals’ senior squad, but his late shot in the 90th minute just hit the bar.
“We sent them into the frenzy, but now, we are in the deep end of the standings because we did not win the game,” said Weiss.
A disappointed Weiss said they will have to find out what they need to improve on when they meet Iraq in the March window.
The Azkals are still in third place with a point to show, but are ahead of the Garudas with a -2 point advantage in the standings.