THE Philippine Azkals made an effort to finish strong and hold out until the end.
And it paid off as Phil Younghusband and Kevin Ingresso came up with late goals, sending the Philippine Azkals to an historic 2-1 win over
Tajikistan on Tuesday evening at the Rizal Memorial Football Field.
“That was the focus that we never give up. Sometimes, we see team under pressure in those games. They score 20 minutes before the end of the game. We had great chances and good corners. Everything worked, and we could not finish,” said coach Thomas Dooley.
Dooley talked about the team’s improvements minutes after the team made history in hurdling their last assignment in Group F of the Asian Football Confederation Asian Cup 2019 qualifiers at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium.
The Azkals spent a lot of time working on their finishing touches during training camp in Tajikistan, and after they lost a friendly to China.
“They score 20 minutes before the end. A lot of teams will fall down and collapse. Our team did not. They stepped up,” said Dooley.
The Azkals became one of eight squads which reached the tournament proper, which will be held at the United Arab Emirates from Jan. 1 to Feb. 5, 2019.
Younghusband connected on his penalty shot from 15 meters after he was fouled by Ergashev Davronjon. This sent the Filipino fans in the stands on a cheering frenzy.
Tajikistan drew first blood when they struck with their first goal in the 64th minute.
Nazarove Akhtam struck from a penalty shot that was awarded to him after he got pushed by Misagh Bahadoran.
Ingresso later equalized in the 73rd minute with a header off Iain Ramsay’s cross.
The Azkals finished on top of Group F with a 3-3-0 win-draw-record, with Yemen getting the second seat with their 1-4-0 slate.
Tajikistan got eliminated with their third loss against two victories and a draw, while Nepal was last with their 0-2-3 card.
They reached the tournament proper with India and Kyrgystan in Group A, along with Lebanon and North Korea in Group B.
Jordan and Vietnam took the Group C slots, while Palestine and Oman made it in Group D. Bahrain and Turkmenistan also earned berths from Group E.