By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Gerrit Holtmann made his debut in style after playing the hero in their game against Mongolia.
With the Philippine Azkals in danger of failing to qualify for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup with either a loss or a draw, the debuting German Bundesliga striker Gerrit Holtmann answered the call and buried the game-winning goal to help the national team escape Mongolia, 1-0, during the third qualifying round of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup.
Holtmann sank the lone goal of the tightly-contested match two minutes and 40 seconds after the period extension.
After receiving a rolling pass from the right corner, Holtmann operated quickly and displayed his flawless offensive moves to generate a long left kick outside the penalty area to boost the Azkals’ chances of qualifying for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup.
Seconds after gathering his posture, Holtmann did three in-and-out dribbles to fool his Mongolian defender and got a clear look at the back of the net.
The Azkals had many chances to put up scores but the tight Mongolian defense prevented them from any easy looks in the whole 90-minute duration of the match.
Moments before Holtmann’s heroics, Dylan De Bruycker had the chance to put the Azkals ahead but his short-tap kick inside the box got deflected by a Mongolian defender.
Mongolia pushed the pace with a minute left in the extra time and fired a long lob pass that was received well by their striker who attempted a header but the Azkals defense got up on him that sealed the deal for their first win of the qualifiers.
It was a grand debut for Holtmann who was worth the wait after failing to suit up against their scoreless draw outing against Yemen.
Holtmann tied the knot with his fiancé and promised to join the team after his wedding which he did after arriving in Mongolia two days before making his debut game.
With the huge win, the Azkals are now the no.1 team in Group B and are four points ahead of Palestine and Yemen.
