Phl booters eye revenge vs Iraqis

MANILA, Philippines — After a close loss to Iraq in Basra, embattled Philippines aims to see its upset plans through on familiar grounds when it faces the Asian power again tonight in the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.

The 139th-ranked Filipinos generally held their own against the No. 59 Iraqis in their first gig under new coach Tom Saintfiet, who is barely a month into the job, and were only undone by the 84th-minute winner of Mohanad Ali in the challenging away game in front of a 63,750-strong crowd.

The Filipinos occupy fourth in Group F with one point off a draw against two losses and are pressed to turn things around in the last three games, beginning with the 7 p.m. home outing at Rizal.