MANILA – The Philippine men’s football team showed improvement than in their first meeting but still suffered a 1-0 defeat in the hands of Syria in the joint FIFA World Cup and AFC Asian Cup qualifying match at the Maktoum bin Rashid Stadium in Dubai, UAE.
Ward Alsamh nailed the marginal goal for the Syrians at the 23rd minute on Tuesday to survive a tough stand by the Azkals and remain on top in Group A with 15 points after winning all of their five games so far.
For the Azkals, meanwhile, this was their second defeat following a 5-2 loss to the same team last September in Bacolod City. The Philippine squad had seven points on two wins, one draw and two losses.
The Azkals had been on point with their defense to start the match but a defensive lapse led to the conversion of Alsamh from a missed free kick by Osama Omari.
After Alsamh’s conversion, the Philippine team became aggressive on their attack with Curt Dizon having an opportunity to force a tie at the 54th minute but was foiled by the defense.
Mark Hartmann also had his chances for the Azkals but his try went straight to the defense of Syrian keeper Ibrahim Alma in the 73rd minute after some nice interplay between Mike Ott and Iain Ramsay on the left.
The Azkals will have a lengthy break before plunging back to the qualifier. It plays host to Guam on March 26 at the Panaad Park and Stadium in Bacolod City./PN
