By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Philippine Azkals Under-23 squad will no longer qualify for the 2022 AFC Under-23 Asian Cup main draw after suffering their third-straight loss to Timor Leste, 0-1.
With only a minute left in the tightly-contested battle, Zenivio Conceicao Mota of Timor Leste broke the hearts of the Filipinos after finding the back of the net for the lone goal of the match.
Mota received a short stab quick pass from a teammate and began his attack inside the Azkals’ penalty area that ousted them from qualification for the prestigious 2022 Asian Cup.
It was also payback time for Timor Leste after the young Azkals squad obliterated them two years ago during the 30th Southeast Asian Games, 6-1.
After a crushing defeat at the hands of the defending champions Korea during their opener, 3-0, the Azkals sought to bounce back and aim for a sweep to punch a ticket for the main draw but another heartbreaker from Singapore in their second match put them in a difficult position to advance.
The Azkals looked aggressive and were hungry for conversions during their match against Singapore but a well-placed goal during the 51st-minute of the match stunned PH.
Azkals team manager Dan Palami took to Twitter his sentiments during their campaign, tweeting “way way below par” regarding their overall performance in their three matches.
