Azkals pressed to beat Palestine

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Azkals go all out against Palestine today at the MFF Stadium in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia with a coveted ticket to the 2023 AFC Asian Cup on the line.

The Azkals, with four points on a win and a draw, can overtake the Palestinians (six points on two victories) in the race for Group B top honors and a hassle-free entry into the Continental tilt with a win in the 12:30 p.m. duel.

“It’s going to be another final (must-win game) for us,” Philippine coach Thomas Dooley said.

While a win guarantees a return trip to the AC as one of six group winners, a different result can complicate things.

A draw with Palestine gives the Filipinos five points at the end of the qualifiers and they could only hope it would be enough to land them in the five best second-placers across the six groups.

At presstime, the Azkals rank fourth behind six-pointers Thailand, Kyrgyzstan and India. Malaysia (three points) is in fifth followed by No. 6 Indonesia (three points).