Near victory for Azkals went to disappointing end

Fans were expecting a victory for the Azkals when Phil Younghusband scored on the 25th minute resulting to an advantage against the Turkmenis on their campaign to break historical records for the Philippines in the AFC Challenge Cup held in Nepal.

Amarov Arslanmyrat equalizing the score to 1-1. Photo taken from www.afc.com

The Azkals finished the first half scoring a point and Turkmenistan (TKM) nil.

Most of the fans and the commentator on Studio 23 were nearly celebrating Azkals' victory as there's merely 15 minutes left. On the 79th minute, a surprise goal came in  from Amarov Arslanmyrat of TKM.  All cheers were silenced as the score was equalized and everyone were hoping that it would end to be a drow for a kick off. But all hopes were nearly diminished as another disappointing goal where 5 to 6 players defending the goal were outwitted and outclassed by a lone Gahryman Chonkayev scoring a goal point for TKM.

To add insult to injury, a yellow card was called on Carlie the Murga on the 89th minute and a red card was slapped against Neil Etheridge ending his campaign for the AFC Challenge Cup game. This adds Etheridge to James Younghusband and Angel del Rosario who had incurred 2 yellow cards. A red card automatically disqualifies a player from playing once given the penalty while a 2 accumulated yellow cards from the Cup likewise has the same effect.

Roel Gener will act as the GK this coming Monday against Palestine. The Azkals met the Palestinians March last year and ended up with a draw.