Younghusband, Azkals hope to replicate success vs. Kyrgyzstan

MANILA, Philippines -- With the AFF Suzuki Cup just days away, the Philippine Azkals get set for their final friendly encounter before the much-awaited tournament.
Their last two outings against Bahrain and North Korea have not been favorable, and now they'll be facing a team that's ranked 25 spots higher than them in Kyrgyzstan.
According to Azkals skipper Phil Younghusband, the team needs to see their last two shortcomings as lessons for their upcoming challenges.
"We look at the last two games we’ve played, and we have to use them as learning experiences." Younghusband told ABS-CBN Sports.
The Azkals will also be banking on the fact that they have beaten Kyrgyzstan recently, and they did it as the visitors, no less.
"We had a good result against Kyrgyzstan in Kyrgystan, with difficult conditions, with their home fans, with the referees, who we felt were against us."
And while Younghusband believes that they have confidence on their side, it will take a lot more than that to replicate their success from their last meeting with the Kyrgyz side.
"It definitely gives us confidence knowing we got a good result against them last time. It will be difficult, but it will depend on how we perform on the day"
It all boils down to mentality, added the Fil-Brit midfielder.
"We know we have good quality, it’s just, for me, a mentality thing on whether we can apply it during the game."
The Philippine Azkals takes on Kyrgyzstan in an International Friendly Match on Wednesday, Novemer 9th, 8:00 PM at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium. Catch the LIVE telecast on ABS-CBN S+A channel 23.
This article originally appeared on the ABS-CBN Sports website.