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ILOILO CITY: The Philippines tries to put a lock on
the top spot in Group B in the AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers when it
clashes with defending champion Tajikistan at the Iloilo Sports
Complex Thursday.
The Filipino booters nipped a
hard-fighting Brunei side 1-0 in the opener Tuesday and a victory in
the 3:30 p.m. match will move them on the brink of the qualification
to the main tournament in Hyderabad, India from July 30 to August
10.
Brunei and Bhutan collide in the
other game at the Barotac Nuevo Sports Complex.
But national coach Norman
Fegidero thinks it is not going to be easy for the locals, noting
that Tajikistan is the most experienced and highest-ranked team in
the tournament sponsored by the Philippine Sports Commission, Milo,
Del Monte, Magnolia, Gatorade, Smart, GNC and Mizuno, the national
team’s official outfitter.
“Tajikistan is the team to
beat,” Fegidero said Wednesday while presiding over the training
session. “If we survive them, our chances of qualifying will be
very high. We are hoping for an upset.”
Tajikistan, which defeated Sri
Lanka for the title in the maiden edition of the tournament in
Bangladesh two years ago, trounced Bhutan 3-1 for its first win at
the Barotac Nuevo Football Plaza Tuesday.
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