Uzbekistan rains goals on Azkals

BOCAUE, Bulacan, Philippines – Uzbekistan gave the erstwhile unbeaten Philippine Azkals a harsh reality check, storming to an emphatic 5-1 victory and dislodging their victims from second place in Group H of the Fifa World Cup qualifiers last night at the Philippine Sports Stadium.

It took the 76th-ranked White Wolves merely 43 seconds on the rain-soaked field to throw the Philippine Azkals off, with captain Odil Akhmedov firing a bomb that slipped past Azkals keeper Neil Etheridge.

That was a portent of things to come as the Uzbeks, playing better under bad conditions, repeatedly threatened the Philippine defense whereas the Filipinos failed to cash in on the chances they managed.

Sardov Rashidov and Igor Sergeev took turns scoring a brace to put the game beyond reach.

Radishov beat the defense to blast a volley home and double the lead at the 14th minute then Sergeev did his thing, extricating from the defense on a long ball to score in first half stoppage time. Sergeev continued his heroics with a header in the 65th.

Cheered on by 7,500 supporters, the resilient Azkals tried to mount a rally but only struck for one goal, courtesy of Stephan Schrock.

The Fil-German midfielder came off the bench to send a curling freekick from 35 yards out in the 68th, drawing a big smile and a thumbs-up sign from coach Thomas Dooley and cheers from the 7,500 home crowd.

Radishov ended scoring with a wicked left footed curler 10 minutes before the final whistle.

With the loss, the Azkals got stuck with six points, the same output as the White Wolves. Unbeaten North Korea, which took a bye last night, remained on top with nine points.

The Azkals will try to rebound next month in a pair of equally tough home assignments, against North Korea in Pyongyang on Oct. 8 and a revenge-seeking Bahrain in Manama on Oct. 13.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Azkals are turning to an old regional rival – Vietnam – to help them prepare for their upcoming away game in the Fifa World Cup qualifiers in North Korea.

The Philippine Football Federation is in talks with counterparts in Vietnam to hold an international friendly between the Azkals and the Vietnamese on Oct. 3 at Rizal Memorial Stadium.