Jarvey Gayoso was in the right place at the right time to propel coach Michael Weiss and the Philippine Azkals to a 1-0 victory over Nepal in front of 3,250 fans at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila on Thursday.
The standout player from Kaya-Iloilo scored the game’s only goal after a goalless first half. Gayoso, a two-time UAAP champion, came in as a substitute just before halftime to replace an injured Patrick Reichelt. He tapped the ball home off a set-piece in the 49th minute.
This was Gayoso’s first goal for the Azkals since he struck against Laos in the 2018 Bangabandhu Cup.
With a one-goal lead, the Azkals aimed to capitalize on their momentum. OJ Portera had an attempt blocked, while Mike Ott saw his free kick saved by Nepalese goalie Kiran Limbu.
Stephan Schrock, who initially announced his retirement from international duty at the end of the 2022 Mitsubishi Electric Cup, came on in the 71st minute to replace Kenshiro Daniels and strengthen the midfield.
Ultimately, the Azkals held on to a narrow win over Nepal, with goalkeeper Patrick Deyto making a crucial late stop to protect the home side’s lead. This was Weiss’ first win as Philippines head coach since a 3-1 victory over Pakistan on October 15, 2013.
“I’m very happy first of all to come back to the Philippines. Secondly, we won. At the end of the day, it’s a results sport and that’s about it. I think against Chinese Taipei on the 19th, we’ll be better,” said the German mentor.
The Philippines will look to build on this result against Chinese Taipei this Monday.
Philippines XI: Deyto (GK), Ingreso, Ott, Reyes, Daniels, Porteria, Sato, De Murga ©, Steuble, Kekkonen, Curran.
Nepal XI: K Limbu (GK, C), Pandey, Tamang, L Limbu, Bista, Ghalan, Bista, Uperkoti, N Shrestha, S Shrestha, Chand.
