By NIKOLE JAVIER
Joy turned into sadness after the Philippine Azkals conceded a second half goal and settled for a 1-1 draw with Indonesia in the second round of the 2023 FIFA World Cup AFC qualifying tournament on Tuesday night, Nov. 21, at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium.
For a while, the Azkals looked headed to a big win that would soothe the pain of a 2-0 defeat to Vietnam last week after Patrick Reichelt broke the ice in the 23rd minute.
To the chagrin of close to 10,000 fans, their hopes of securing three points vanished into thin air as Saddil Ramdani equalized in the 69th minutes.
In a tense and heated showdown, the Azkals had several chances to score – one when Reichelt got a clear attempt but just could not complete.
The other was when Santi Rublico fired a thunderous shot that elicited a cry of disappointment when it hit the crossbar.
With the draw, the Philippines could only claim one point as its goal difference remained -2 in Group F.
Indonesia, which suffered a 5-1 defeat to favorite Iraq in its away game last week, also earned a single point.
The Azkals need to play extra ordinarily when they play against Iraq next year.
Reichelt’s one-touch shot was his 15th in an Azkals shirt.
