It's a draw for the Azkals in Sri Lanka

The Azkals struggled against the Brave Reds during
the 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers in Sri Lanka.
(Image via Sportales.com)

The road to the 2014 FIFA World Cup has begun for the Philippine National Football team. Since their successful stint in last year's Suzuki Cup and AFC Challenge Cup Qualifiers, their game against Sri Lanka is no exception. Getting a spot for the World Cup is perhaps one of the biggest challenges for the Azkals. A win -- by 2 goals at least -- on the Brave Red's home turf could give them an advantage when the Philippine team returns to Manila for the 2nd leg of their match in Rizal Stadium on July 3.

Football pundits believe the Azkals have the advantage in terms of youth and athleticism even Coach Michael Weiss thinks otherwise. He knows they can get those 2 important away goals -- or so he thought. In the match against Sri Lanka, the team struggled on their attacks, literally had a hard time getting a goal in the first half. Things got a little testy for both teams. James Younghusband and Stephan Shrock got slapped with yellow cards each early in the game.

After being out about a couple months recovering from a hamstring injury, it was a disappointing return for Phil Younghusband. Having only playing most of the first half, he somehow reinjured his hamstring and did not return for the rest of game. Without the presence of Phil for the Azkals in the pitch, it gave the Brave Reds' Chathura Gunarathna got an opportunity to score their first goal off a free kick at 41:03 minutes in the game.

The Azkals made a comeback in the 2nd half as newcomer Nate Burkey scored the equalizer off a header via James Younghusband's header and facilitated by Chieffy Caligdong -- go figure. The Sri Lankan defense smothered the Azkals with every possession. Then Skipper Aly Borromeo got a yellow card of his own, the game just got really physical. At least, it didn't get worse than that.

The Sri Lankans physical plays wasn't perhaps the only thing that bothered the Philippine Team -- the pitch wasn't as good as they hoped for either. They had a difficult time controlling the ball and had to adjust on playing in it.

The game ended in a 1-1 draw. The Azkals didn't quite get the 2 away goals they were looking for but that 1 goal was enough to suffice Coach Weiss and the rest of the team. That particular will give the Philippines an advantage when they host Sri Lanka in a home game on July 3. All the team needs is a nil-nil finish to advance to the 2nd round of the World Cup Qualifiers for the right to face Kuwait.

A lot are at stake for the Azkals -- possibly minus Phil Younghusband -- when they return to Manila for the 2nd leg of the qualifiers. The advantage may have shifted in the Philippines favor but it's still a huge mountain to climb for the team and vie for a chance to play in the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.