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PHL Azkals lose to Kuwait 0-3 in 1st leg of qualifier match


Updated (2:30 a.m.):With key defenders Aly Borromeo and Stephan Schrock serving their one-game suspensions, the Azkals backline failed to stop Kuwait, losing to the Al-Azraq 0-3 in the first leg of their 2nd round 2014 World Cup Qualifying match early Sunday morning (Manila time). The Azkals were off to an aggressive start with near back to back goals by Phil Younghusband and Angel Guirado. But Kuwait's Yousef Nasser drew first blood, scoring the opening goal at the 16th minute with a header. Azkals goalkeeper Neil Etheridge dove to his left to try to intercept the ball but it slipped past his outstretched arms and into the net. On the 66th minute, the Azkals' Angel Guirado injured his right leg after landing badly on it. He was driven off the pitch on a motor cart although the injury was not disclosed. He went back to play after a few minutes. Musaed Neda scored Kuwait's 2nd goal at the 69th minute mark. Etheridge deflected the Kuwaiti's first attempt which led to a scramble on the ground. However, Neda was able to get up on one knee and kick the ball in, upping their lead to 2-0. Kuwait sealed the victory with a goal by Fahed Al-Ibrahim at the 84th mark. Al-Ibrahim brushed past the Philippines' back four and shot a long-range kick from the top of the box. During the four extra minutes, Coach Michael Weiss fielded in bench players Simon Greatwich and Misagh Bahadoran who made his international football debut. Clearly the underdogs, the Azkals, as the Philippine contingent is popularly known, have the odds stacked against them. They are ranked 159th while the Kuwait squad is 57 places up the ladder (102), according to the June 2011 FIFA rankings. In Asia, Kuwait is 11th while the Philippines is 29th. The Kuwait national team, the Al-Azraq, are seeded in the 2014 qualifiers, exempted from having to go through Round 1, where the 16 lowest-ranked countries had to get bruised first before they advance to the second round. The home leg of the Azkals' series against Kuwait will be held on July 28 at the Rizal Football Stadium. — with reports from Mav C. Gonzales and Earl Rosero, GMA News
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