PH Azkals bounce back, trounce Guam in three-goal romp

The Philippine Azkals recovered from a disheartening loss to China with a 3-0 thrashing of Guam in the joint qualifiers for the 2022 FIFA World Cup and 2023 AFC Asian Cup on Friday night at the Sharjah Stadium, UAE.

It was a total team effort for the national booters as Filipino-Spanish Angel Guirado opened the game with an early conversion off a pass from Oliver Bias at the 12th minute, 1-0. The Azkals, though, would not hit another goal until halftime.

At the 59th mark, the Filipinos doubled on the Guamanians as Marcus Lopez headed home his own goal.

A free kick to the net at the 88th minute by Mark Hartman, who’s coming in as a substitute, would seal the win for the Azkals who, prior to the tournament, set up training camp in Doha, Qatar.

The victory solidified Azkals’ hold of the third spot in Group A with 10 points and a 3-1-3 win-draw-loss card just behind China in the second place with 13 points in a 4-1-1 slate.

They will next face Maldives on Tuesday to finish strong in the qualifying tournament that is being held in a “centralized” setup.

—JMB, GMA News