THE Philippine Azkals try to sustain momentum when they resume their Fifa World Cup Qualifying campaign against Bahrain on Tuesday night at the opponent’s National Stadium in Riffa.
Regaining their confidence after holding traditional Asian power North Korea to a goalless draw in Pyongyang last week, the Azkals seek a victory this time against the Bahrainis to stay firmly in the running for a spot in the third round.
The match, which caps off a tiring travel schedule for the Azkals, kicks off at 11 p.m. (PH time).
The Filipino booters are running third in Group H with seven points, behind North Korea (10) and Uzbekistan (9). Bahrain sits in fourth with three markers, while Yemen still has yet to score a point.
The top teams to emerge in the eight groups, as well as the four best second placers will advance to next, not to mention book an outright berth to the next AFC Asian Cup.
The Azkals have finally figured out how to solve the Bahrain puzzle after numerous attempts as they stunned the Gulf squad, 2-1, that jumpstarted their Qualifiers campaign last June.
Despite playing on enemy territory, the Filipinos, led by skipper Phil Younghusband and Stephan Schrock on offense and Neil Etheridge and Amani Aguinaldo on the other end, will be playing like they’re home as thousands of OFWs are expected to troop the venue that can seat over 40,000 fans.
Source: Karlo Sacamos of Spin.ph
