Despite draw, Azkals stay in Asian Cup hunt

MANILA, Philippines — Despite failing to nail the clincher against out-of-contention Nepal, the Philippine Azkals still stand in good position in the three-way race for the two Asian Cup 2019 slots at stake in Group F.

The Azkals were held to a scoreless stalemate by the Gorkhalis Tuesday afternoon to get stalled in their bid for history but got a reprieve when Nos. 2 and 3 Yemen and Tajikistan also played 0-0 later at night and divided the spoils over in Dushanbe.

The result turned out favorable for the Azkals as they carry a two-point lead against both Yemen and Tajikistan heading into the last day of the qualifiers in March 2018 and can complete their date with destiny with at least a draw against the Tajiks five months from now in Bacolod.

An Azkals victory at home will give them 12 points while a draw will bring their total to 10. Either way, they will qualify regardless of what will happen in the Yemen-Nepal showdown over in Doha.

A loss to Tajikistan may even suffice, too, provided Yemen will draw with or lose to Nepal in their own battle. But a setback to Tajikistan will prove catastrophic if Yemen will beat Nepal, in which case it will be Tajikistan and Yemen advancing to the Asian Cup.

“We didn’t get the win in Nepal that would have put us in the (Asian Cup) final round but now we have to wait until the last round match (to pursue our dream),” said coach Thomas Dooley.

The Azkals had their lack of finishing to blame in the standoff in Kathmandu, where a single goal could’ve propelled them to victory.

Dooley cited several factors that contributed to the offensive duds.