By NIKOLE JAVIER
The Philippine Azkals absorbed a heartbreaking 2-1 defeat to Indonesia at the close of their campaign in the AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup 2022 on Monday night, Jan. 2, at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila.
The Azkals came into the game still on cloud nine following their 5-1 drubbing of Brunei last Dec. 26 but the Indons proved to be up to the task.
Though they were already out of it after the Indons drew with the powerhouse Thailand side, the Azkals were in aggressive form early, constantly putting pressure on the Garuda’s defense on numerous occasions.
But the promising start would not do much as Dendy Sulistyawan broke loose to score on a header off a throw-in by Pratama Arhan in the 21st minute.
They made it 2-0 seven minutes before the break as Marselino Ferdinan made a powerful blast off a perfect feed by Saddil Ramdani inside the box.
Team captain Stephan Schrock, who played his final game with the Azkals, provided some comfort to the team, coming through with a delicate lofted pass which Sebastian Rasmussen headed home in the 83rd, sparking a wild celebration for the PH side.
They pressed on their attack in the hope of salvaging a draw but to no avail.
They finished with a 1-3 record after also losing earlier to Thailand (4-0) and Cambodia (3-2).
Azkal head coach Josep Ferre, who took the post just a month ago, remained proud of how the national team showed up, convinced that their commitment offered a revealing read of what’s to come in the near future.
