THE Azkals shackled gritty North Korea to force a shocking 0-0 draw in their thrilling International Federation of Association Football (Fifa) World Cup qualifiers before a daunting crowd of 50,000 at the Kim Il Sung Stadium in Pyongyang on Thursday.
The Azkals, thus accomplished their modest mission of drawing with the world-class and taller North Koreans.
With the draw, the Philippines kept its 2019 Fifa World Cup hopes alive by bagging one point from the match. North Korea, on the other hand, dropped points for the first time in the qualifiers after scoring three straight victories.
Goalkeeper Neil Etheridge showed eagerness to bounce back from a lethargic performance in their losing match against Uzbekistan. He played with an all-out effort to protect the goal by denying North Korea’s barrage of attempts.
North Korea had the majority of possessions in the second half but the Filipinos played their hearts out to stop their gritty opponents. The Koreans struggled all game long with their shots with Jong Il Gwan failing to snatch a goal in 90th minute against Etheridge’s inspired performance.
A shocking eight-minute stoppage time was sanctioned by the officials but the Azkals continued to play with composure to survive the powerhouse team.
The Filipinos had their closest chance to score in the 42nd minute when, Daisuke Sato slashed in from short corner and located Woodland. His shot went off the mark.
Etheridge also spoiled North Korea’s best opportunity to score in the 25th minute when Pak Kwang Ryong was left wide open for a free header. But the Azkals’ keeper was in the perfect spot to save the ball.
The Azkals head to Bahrain for their next match on October 13.