Azkals meet Afghans in friendly

MANILA, Philippines — The in-transition Philippine Azkals continue their buildup for the coming FIFA World Cup Qualifiers by taking on Afghanistan in a friendly tonight at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.

Coach Michael Weiss’ charges are gunning for a good result in front of home fans four days after blowing a 1-0 lead in a 1-1 draw with Chinese Taipei in a rain-soaked away friendly over in Kaohsiung.

The 7 p.m. match also presents a golden opportunity for the Pinoy booters to finally get one against the Afghans after sharing the spoils in previous duels.

They played to a 1-1 stalemate in the group stage of the defunct AFC Challenge Cup in 2006 in Bangladesh. Then the Afghans forced the then red-hot Azkals to a goal-less stalemate in the same tournament eight years later in Maldives.

This is Weiss’ third game since starting his second tour of duty with the Azkals in June. The Azkals gave him a 1-0 welcome-back win over Nepal then absorbed a 2-3 defeat at the hands of the Taiwanese in a pair of matches in Manila during the June FIFA window.

Weiss’ troops are preparing for the second round of the WCQ, where they are bracketed with Vietnam, Iraq and the winner of the Round 1 playoff between Brunei and Indonesia.