The national men’s football team is tipped to go hard when it battles Afghanistan in a friendly match on Tuesday at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium.
Kickoff is set at 7 p.m. with the Azkals looking to bounce back from their sluggish finish that led to a 1-1 standoff against Chinese Taipei last Friday at the Kaohsiung National Stadium in Taipei.
Their battle against the battle-scarred Afghans, who ranks No. 157 in the world, will serve as the final match in the Azkals two-game friendly series that is part of their buildup for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers on 16 November.
Veteran goalkeeper Neil Etheridge of Birmingham City FC is expected to lead the Azkals together with Patrick Reichelt of Kuala Lumpur FC, Santi Rublico of Atletico de Madrid, and Daisuke Sato of Persib Bandung.
Azkals head coach Hans Weiss said he was satisfied with how the Filipinos performed in which they overcame the pesky Taiwanese defense and the muddy pitch.
“We demanded from the group the character test today (Friday) to see how strong you can go in these difficult conditions with a ground you cannot even play football on. I’m satisfied with the group,” Weiss said.
“Give credit to the players. We didn’t win but we have all the reasons to be proud of this performance and we are looking forward to our home game in Manila on the 12th against Afghanistan.”
Branded as the Lions of Khorasan, the Afghans have never lost a match so far this month after delivering a 0-0 draw and a 1-1 draw against Bangladesh last 3 and 7 September.
Jabar Sharza, who plays for Swedish club Ariana FC in the Ettan Fotboll league, will be a marked man after emerging as the lone goal scorer against Bangladesh.
Reichelt said he hopes that he and his teammates will move on from a frustrating shooting match against the Taiwanese and focus on the next match.
