The historic playoff bid of the Philippine Azkals in the AFC Asian Cup ended disappointingly Wednesday after losing to Kyrgyzstan in their final Group C match, 3-1, of the AFC Asian Cup at the Rashid Stadium in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Vitalij Lux shone brightest for the White Falcons as he scored a hat-trick that dashed the hopes of the Sven-Goran Eriksson-mentored Azkals in their maiden foray in the top-tiered Asian tournament.
German-based Lux broke the ice in the 24th before adding two more in the second half to help Kyrgyzstan progressed as one of the best third-placed teams.
The Azkals grabbed a consolation goal through Stephan Schrock with 10 minutes to go.
The country’s third defeat in as many outings ruined whatever it gained after giving the mighty South Koreans a big scare in a narrow 1-0 loss.
But things went sour for the Azkals in their next game as they absorbed a crushing 3-0 defeat to the Chinese.
The Chinese, however, were beaten by the Koreans, 2-0.
The Koreans, hoping to end 59 years of Asian Cup agony, topped the group elims with a perfect 9 points. The Chinese wound up with a 2-1 mark.
Hailed for reaching the 2002 World Cup finals, the Koreans have failed to win Asian football’s most coveted prize since winning back-to-back titles in 1956 and 1960. (With a report from AFP)
