The Philippine men’s football team ended its losing streak with a hard-earned 1-nil win over the visiting Nepal in their international friendly match on Thursday night, June 15, at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.

After struggling to convert in the first half despite continuous onslaught, the Azkals finally found a breakthrough as substitute Jarvey Gayoso fired a goal from close range through the scrambling crowd inside the box in the 49th minute.

With the win, the Azkals ended their five-game losing streak dating back to the AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup in January.

Returning after four years to national duties, with Neil Etheridge not in the lineup, goalkeeper Patrick Gayoso also impressed and finished with a clean sheet.

“For the overall performance, you could see that they come from holidays and they were not in good shape. If this is the case, you cannot put into reality what you actually want on the board and your idea is just not realistic,” said returning head coach Michael Weiss.

“I’m happy but not so much [with the result]. First of all, I come back to the Philippines and secondly, we win. At the end of the day, it’s a result sport and that’s about it,” he added.

In the 72nd minute, former Azkals captain Stephan Shrock came in as a surprise for Kenshiro Daniels as he officially returned to international football after announcing his retirement from the Philippine national team at the end of their AFF campaign.

The Philippines will face Chinese Taipei in another friendly match on Monday, June 19, at the same venue.