Schrock: Azkals remain determined to advance in Asian Cup qualifiers
MANILA, Philippines — Philippine Azkals skipper Stephan Schrock said the squad’s determination to hurdle the second round of the Joint Fifa World Cup-AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers won’t wane despite the long layoff.
The Azkals, who last played in October 2019, won’t be hitting the field for a while longer as the Fifa and AFC postponed the Group A matches previously set in October and November to next year due to the pandemic.
“We want to prove ourselves in the group and advance and the game plan doesn’t change, “ said Schrock.
The Fil-German dynamo said the extended break will afford the Nationals more preparation time for their crucial matches against Guam, China and Maldives.
“Football is the biggest thing for us but we do understand there is higher responsibility than just playing the game and we accept
that and we make the most out of it,” he said.
“This gives us more time to process things within the Azkals and we’ll take it on a positive note regardless of how badly we wanted to play.”
The Azkals sit at third in Group A with seven points behind unbeaten Syria (15 points) and China (seven but with superior goal difference against Philippines, 11 versus 0) before play was halted thrice this year.
The target is to either top the group or place among the four best group runners-up to advance to the third round of the WCQ.
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