AZKALS team captain Neil Etheridge apologized to the fans for the team's failure to deliver a win during the first window of the Fifa World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup 2027 second round qualifiers at home.
Etheridge said the Azkals could have easily won a match after missing on several chances against Indonesia, which took advantage and drew with the Philippines, 1-1, thanks to a goal by Saddil Ramdani in the 60th minute.
READ Azkals settle for a draw after conceding late Indonesia goal
“Very disappointing and upset. It hurts,” said Etheridge. “It does hurt everyone in the dressing room. It means so much to represent the Philippines and represent at this level.”
“We started to play football today. We had a lot of chances. We should have converted in our chances. That’s probably the biggest criticism that anyone can give us today. It thought we fought well. We defended for our lives. Let’s be honest. I think Indonesia walked away very happy with a point with the amount of pressure that was build on their goal.
“Of course, we are upset that we slipped here to a 1-1 draw. But like coach said, we can’t feel sorry for ourselves. But I want to apologize for the effort of the boys in this camp and in these games,” said Etheridge.
Philippines coach Michael Weiss said the Azkals were capable of winning at least a match during the recent Fifa World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup 2027 joint qualifiers window. They also lost to Vietnam, 2-0, last Thursday.
“I cannot believe how after we have invested in the two games that we only have one point,” said Weiss. “We should have four points. This is very clear for me a hundred percent. It was a draw. This game (against Indonesia) in the first half, we had so many chances. How many chances to you want to have?”
Etheridge: 'We played better'
“We sit here with a long face and we are sad. But it doesn’t take away the very nice impression we have on the team. We promised ourselves that we will do our best and that’s what we did. But it’s brutal. Football isn’t for (the) light-hearted. It’s a tough game and you have to deal with this disappointment,” said Weiss.
The Birmingham City goalkeeper admitted that they did play better in the Indonesia match, but their effort wasn’t enough.
“We’ve gone to a deep block against a very good Vietnam team. A much-better counterattacking performance today, passing the ball, mixing our game up. The boys, you can see after the game, are very disappointed today. But I want to apologize on behalf of the team for the effort that we put in the last 10 days,” said Etheridge.
The next matches of the Azkals in the Fifa World Cup/AFC Asian Cup will be a home-and-home tiff against Iraq on March 21 and 26.
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