The game should have been over at half-time.
The Philippine men’s football team was left wondering what could have been after settling for a 1-1 draw against Indonesia in the second round of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila on Tuesday.
The Azkals secured a 1-0 advantage with Patrick Reichelt's goal in the opening half, but the Indonesians leveled the score in the 70th minute courtesy of Saddil Ramdani's left-footed shot.
Following the draw and a 2-0 defeat to Vietnam last Thursday, the Azkals only secured a solitary point in the two matches.
Coach Hans Michael Weiss was disappointed after the game, frustrated by their inability to close out the match.
“We didn't bury the game. I cannot believe how after what we have invested in the last two games, we can stand here with one point only. We should have four points,” Weiss said during the postgame press conference, as shared by Radyo Pilipinas 2 Sports' Aaron Bayato.
“A game like this, you cannot give away. It's absolutely a joke. We cannot not win this game,” Weiss added.
The German tactician also lamented that some players were not in competitive shape as they should have been.
"There are players who were not able to compete in two games in the span of five days on this level. We have to look in the mirror and be very specific on that also," added Weiss.
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But Weiss still acknowledged something positive about their draw with Indonesia.
"As much as I'm disappointed, I'm very happy also because the boys gave everything. We played tactically smart and as long as the whole group was fit and the whole group worked together," said Weiss, who made a return to the Azkals after a decade. "We promised to ourselves we leave everything in the pitch and that's what we did."
While the frustration was shared by team captain Neil Etheridge, the 33-year-old Birmingham City goalkeeper also defended the effort put in by the Azkals.
“It does hurt everyone in that dressing room. It means so much to represent the Philippines, to represent at this level,” said Etheridge. “We had a lot of chances, we should have converted our chances. That's probably the biggest criticism that anyone can give us today.”
“We can't feel sorry for ourselves, but I won't apologize for the effort the boys put in over this camp and these games,” he added.
For now, the Azkals are back to the drawing board as they prepare for the next window in March. They will next face Iraq.
(PM)