PATRICK Reichelt scored the go-ahead goal in the second half as the Philippine Azkals cruised to a 1-0 win over the Singapore Lions at the start of the 2018 AFF Suzuki Cup on Tuesday at the Panaad Park and Stadium in Bacolod City.
The Filipino-German winger threaded through two Lions defenders for the Philippine team to surge and hand Sven-Göran Eriksson a winning start as Azkals mentor.
It was also the first time that the Azkals posted a victory over the Lions on Philippine soil. In their previous two encounters they’ve had draws – in 2012 in Manila and in 2016 in Bocaue, Bulacan.
The Azkals had three free kick opportunities in the first few minutes but all of them were foiled by the defense. The Lions also got two scoring chances but these were blocked by Philippine goalkeeper Neil Etheridge.
Tensions heated from thereon with two Azkals players – Stephan Schrock and Luke Woodland – getting hurt. Manny Ott had a chance to let the Philippines surge at the half but he misfired in his free kick attempt.
Both teams struggled with possessions early in the second half until the Azkals finally broke the dry spell in the 79th minute as Reichelt sliced through two Singaporean defenders for an inside connection.
The Singaporeans went aggressive in the final minutes in a bid to force a deadlock but the Philippines tightened their defense, making the visiting team settle for wayward attempts.
The Azkals were trying to move past the semifinal round of the AFC Suzuki Cup this year after a sorry campaign two years ago that saw the national team getting eliminated in the group stage./P
