Atrocious and dismal performance pushes the Azkals near the edge of elimination

Photo Credits: FA Thailand

The defending champions Thailand walloped the Philippines who are coming from a strong 5-1 win over Brunei in their third match in the 2022 AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup and are nearing the exit doors of the competition.

Right from the kick-off, the War Elephants showed who's the boss at the Thammasat Stadium as they got an early league courtesy of the all-time top scorer Teerasil Dangda.

In the third minute, Theeraton Bunmathan's corner found Teerasil roaming with acres of space inside the box who then headed the ball past Julian Schwarzer. After the opening goal, it was all Thailand and the match became a target practice for them.

With Theeraton having a party, he's just ready to assist anyone wearing blue that night. In the sixth minute, Suphanan Bureerat went past Simen Lyngbo to almost score their second of the night but thankfully, he was offside.

Ekanit Panya and Adisak Kraisorn have joined the shooting practice but both of them were either firing blanks or haven't put on their shooting boots yet. It also helped them get into a shooting position as the entire defense of the Azkals sans Jefferson Tabinas was caught sleeping.

Four minutes before the end of the first half, Teerasil converted his second of the night from the penalty spot as Ekanit Panya was fouled by Amani Aguinaldo who committed to a two-footed challenge on the opposing player.

The War Elephants would continue their dominance over the visiting side as they scored two goals in a span of six minutes. Three minutes before the hour mark, Adisak found the back of the net thanks to an assist from Teerasil. Then three minutes past the hour mark, it was Suphanan's turn to score their fourth goal of the match from point-blank range thanks to Bordin Phala's delivery.

In the last 15 minutes of the match, the Azkals, following their old ways, tried to battle for scraps and salvage any ounce of dignity. Hikaru Minegishi tried to convert Kenshiro Daniels' pass from the right but his header was saved by Kittipong Phoothawchuek.

Sandro Reyes, who's been fantastic in their home game against Brunei, started off from the bench and changed a bit of the dynamics of the match after he came on as a half-time substitute. He would go for a shot in the 91st minute but his attempt soared over the crossbar but was still enough to threaten Kittipong.

The Azkals are just a game away from seeing another group stage exit. If they do leave the competition after the 2nd of January, this would be their second consecutive early departure from the competition and the first since the revival of Philippine Football in 2010.

With fans left in disappointment, pain, agony, and disbelief, the Philippines must win its last game against rivals Indonesia who's coming off a seven-nil outing against Brunei. A win wouldn't be enough as they need to blank the Garudas and score at least NINE goals to give them a fighting chance for the semifinals. This would also come with praying that Cambodia miraculously loses against Brunei.