Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Lalitpur: Philippines captain Phil Younghusband is hoping to bury the disappointment of missing out on the AFC Asian Cup in 2015 by leading his country to the Finals in 2019 with victory over Nepal in Group F on Tuesday evening.
A win would take Thomas Dooley’s team to the nation’s first-ever continental Finals after narrowly missing out on a place in Australia 2015, when they finished as runners-up behind Palestine at the AFC Challenge Cup in the Maldives in 2014.
The Azkals can advance with a win over Nepal while second-placed Yemen take on Tajikistan, who currently occupy third, with both teams on six points, two fewer than the Philippines.
“We were so close in 2014 at the AFC Challenge Cup, losing in the final to Palestine,” said Younghusband (pictured above, centre).
“With the players that we have, with the team that we had, probably for some of the players that was still their biggest disappointment. That was a huge opportunity to play in Australia in the Asian Cup.
“We understand that the qualification format has changed and we’ve had a good draw. I think this is as good as any chance for us to qualify so I’m not even thinking about the possibility of us not qualifying.
www.the-afc.com/en/more/photo/philly_action_jpg.html
www.the-afc.com/en/more/photo/nepal_asian1_jpg.html
www.the-afc.com/en/more/photo/yemen_asian1_jpg.html
