Philippine Azkals bow to host Kuwait in friendly
The Philippine Azkals were handed a 2-0 defeat by host Kuwait in a friendly match held Friday (Saturday Manila time) at Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium in Kuwait City.
Goals from Bader Al-Fadhel and Ali Khalaf inside the final 20 minutes resulted in a loss for the Azkals in the match that served as part of their West Asia training camp.
Al-Fadhel broke the ice when fired a free kick into the far post off a diving Azkals goalkeeper Neil Etheridge in the 72nd minute.
The Azkals conceded the second goal in the 84th as Khalaf scored during a counterattack for Kuwait.
Etheridge was among the seasoned Azkals players featured in the starting lineup along with Amani Aguinaldo, Carli de Murga, Kevin Ingreso, Manny Ott, OJ Porteria and Mark Hartmann.
They were joined by returnees Michael Kempter, Patrick Strauss and Jesse Curran and debuting Santi Rublico, who is part of Atletico Madrid’s reserve team.
Rublico, only 17 years old, made a strong impression during his Azkals debut.
Next up for the Philippines, which is now handled by Moroccan coach Barae Jrondi, is another friendly this time against Jordan on Wednesday in Doha, Qatar.