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| Rejj Sibayan (file photo) |
By Gil Mar Moriones
DOHA--Without the presence of the injured Stephan Shrock, the Philippine national football team conquered the mean side of Yemen in its second match of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers at the Qatar SC Stadium with a 2-0 win on Wednesday (Philippine Time).
Misagh Bahadoran scored for the second straight match, while Iain Ramsey converted the insurance for the Azkals, who won for the second straight time in the qualifiers.
The Yemeni XI composing of youngsters put on a fight early on as they slightly knocked the door of Azkals' defense, as Ayman Al Hagri attempted to enter in the their zone, but goalie Neil Etheridge responded to the opportunity.
The Azkals then went on an attack as Manny Ott later tried a pull back goal, but Mohammed Ebrahim Ayash saved the shot superbly.
Misagh Bahadoran again opened the second half with a goal as he took a pretty pass by Javier Patiño, turned around, and kicked the ball through the goal mouth in the 53rd minute.
Patiño then assisted on Iain Ramsay's 74th minute goal that sealed the win for the Azkals.
The Philippines will have five months to prepare for its next match in the qualifying phase for the World Cup as they will face the Asia's fourth-ranked Uzbekistan at the Philippine Sports Stadium in Bocaue on Sept. 8.
Uzbekistan lost at North Korea, 2-4, in its first match in the qualifiers.
Philippines and North Korea remain tied for first place in their group with six points each.
The top two teams in each group will advance to the third round of the World Cup Qualifiers, which also serves as a qualifier for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup in UAE.
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