The Philippine Azkals lost its second straight FIFA international friendly when they lost 1-3 against North Korea at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila last October 10, 2016.
Unlike the previous game against Bahrain, it was Roland Muller who started as the goalkeeper for the Azkals and not former De La Salle Green Archer Patrick Deyto.
It was Muller’s first competitive game in three months since red tape is preventing him from playing for Ceres-La Salle Football Club in the United Football League.
“I played before in Switzerland at a higher level. I have a good foundation in Germany, but of course practices and games are so different. For myself, I have to say I feel confident. I am in shape. I’m happy for myself; it was good but unlucky for these three goals,” commented Muller after the game.
It was a long night in goal for Muller as he picked up the ball three times from the Philippines net. Nevertheless, the Cologne, Germany-born player refused to lay the blame on his defenders.
“Yes maybe we didn’t find the right position; we didn’t find the right solution against North Korea because they had really good passes and they always have this tactical (advantage), what they did really well.
“It was really tough for us all to defend against North Korea,” explained the 28 year old goalie.
One thing, though, that the former Servette FC goalie wanted the defense to improve was their communication.
He shared, “we play with four at the back and I think we have to make this clear, we have to speak clear, and we have to speak about right solutions on what we have to do in the future.
“We have a big tournament now in the 2016 AFF Suzuki Cup and I’m looking forward to this competition.”
There is still one more friendly to go for the Azkals before the Philippine-hosted 2016 AFF Suzuki Cup. That game will be a home fixture against Kyrgyzstan at the Rizal Memorial Stadium on November 9, 2016.
“It’s always a pleasure and I’m thankful that I am on the field. Of course today it wasn’t our best match, but at the end we fought. Hopefully it will be better in our next game on November against Kyrgyzstan,” the Filipino-German expressed.
