By NIKOLE JAVIER
The Philippine Azkals will shoot for a graceful exit when it takes on Indonesia to wrap up its AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup 2022 campaign at the Rizal Memorial Stadium on Monday, Jan. 2.
Game time is at 8:30 p.m. as the Filipinos look to close out the group stage on a winning note moving forward to their lined-up competitions this year.
The Azkals were officially eliminated from the contest following Thailand and Indonesia’s draw last Dec. 29 in Jakarta, and the Filipinos would have benefited a great deal had the Thais got the upper hand over the Indonesians.
After suffering a 4-0 thrashing at the hands of the defending champion Thailand last Dec. 26, the Filipinos are no more than excited to bounce back for the last time on their own home turf.
In what seems a bumpy ride, the Azkals found themselves in fourth place with three points off one win and two losses. They almost had it in their hands in the opening match against Cambodia which would have made the difference in their campaign.
In their second match in Group A though, the Filipinos put on a show with a convincing 5-1 win over Brunei last Dec. 23.
Kenshiro Daniels, who scored his three goals in the Azkals’ first two matches, will be expected to lead the assault in front of the cheering home crowd.
The Philippines is also counting on the young talents of Jhan-Jhan Melizza and Sandro Reyes who both scored their first international goals against Brunei.