MANILA – The Philippine men’s football team suffered a close 2-3 loss to Al Hidd Club of Bahrain in an international friendly match the other day at the Hidd Sports Club in Bahrain.
Curt Dizon scored one from close range while Patrick Reichelt converted from the penalty area, but these were not enough.
The Azkals finished its two-game friendly in Bahrain with one draw and a loss.
In their previous friendly game on Thursday night, Azkals settled for a 1-1 draw. The Bahrain national team negated Phil Younghusband’s first half goal with a last minute hit.
Despite the outcome, newly-installed Azkals head coach Scoot Cooper remains upbeat. He has yet to instill fully his system with the squad, which also has a number of new and returning players.
“If you look at our squad, there are a number of players who are returning, and a new coach and a new system of play, so a draw and a tight loss is a good sign,” Cooper said.
He expects the players to get accustomed to his system as they have more practice days together.
The Azkals’ training camp in Bahrain was part of the national men’s football team’s preparations for the 2018 Suzuki Cup later this year and Asian Cup in United Arab Emirates in 2019./PN
