The Philippine men’s national football team wants to be more lethal in attacking as it faces Iraq in the second round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers tomorrow at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium.
National team head coach Tom Saintfiet said during a pre-match press conference last Monday that the team wants to finish its scoring chances to keep its bid in advancing to the third round of the World Cup qualifiers.
The Filipinos are seeking payback after a 0-1 loss to Iraq last Friday at the Basra International Stadium.
“Naturally, we wanted a bit more ball possession but playing there (in Basra) isn’t easy in 60,000 or 65,000 fully-packed stadium,” Saintfiet said.
So playing at home, in front of a packed stadium, we would like to give our fans also something to celebrate.”
Both sides clash on Tuesday at 7 p.m. as the Philippines seeks its first win in the second round of the qualifiers.
Defender Amani Aguinaldo vows to keep the Lions of Mesopotamia scoreless when they battle tonight.
“We want to keep a clean sheet, hope for the best against Iraq,” Aguinaldo said.
