The Philippine Azkals banked on homecourt advantage in inflicting Brunei a 5-1 spanking late Friday in the AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.
“I would like to say thank you to the fans because we really felt their support during the entire 90 minutes,” said newly-appointed Azkals mentor Josep Ferre.
“It was something that made us stronger,” Ferre added.
Before facing Brunei, Cambodia dealt the Azkals a heartbreaking 3-2 defeat.
Kenshiro Daniels opened the floodgates in the seventh minute before Sandro Reyes scored his first international goal to make it 2-0 in the 12th minute against Brunei.
Jesus Joaquin Mellisza made it 3-0 for the Azkals in the 50th minute before Jens Rasmussen scored a brace in the 52nd and 88th minutes to wrap things up.
Ramizie Ramlli was the lone Bruneian to score in the match in the 70th minute.
The Azkals, now holding a 1-1 record in Group A, will face defending champion Thailand on 26 December in Bangkok.
For Ferre, rest will be the top priority for the team due to its tight schedule as the Philippines will lock horns with the War Elephants.
“There is a tight schedule for all these games. We need them to get as much rest as they can for the next game,” Ferre said.
“Thailand has excellent players and experience. We will have to exploit the few weak points that they have.”
