MANILA (UPDATED) – The Philippine Azkals bowed to Vietnam, 0-2, in their FIFA World Cup qualifiers showdown in front of a 10,000-strong crowd at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila on Thursday.

Nguyen Van Toan and Nguyen Dinh Bac were the scorers for Vietnam, finding the back of the net at the 16-minute mark and in extended time.

The national football team played in front of 10,378 fans in response to a campaign by the Philippine Football Federation to fill up seats to support the Azkals.

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The Philippines was trailing from a 1-0 deficit in the half, and national football team head coach Michael Weiss said in the postgame conference that they tried long balls to equalize the match.

"I think, considering the pressure and the chances that we had in the second half, maybe a draw would have been a fair result," Weiss said. "But if and when doesn't count in football in the last minute. In the overtime we were hoping for long balls, maybe to get something out of long balls, but then obviously you give space, a way for counters."

"Nevertheless, I'm very very satisfied with the performance. I think we can (hold) our heads high," he added.

Weiss also discussed Santiago Rublico's chance to equalize past 70 minutes, but unfortunately, he missed the goal.

"I think the crucial point was the big chance of Santy Rublico. I think like something like 70, 75 minutes. If he scores there, the fans will come with maximum strength, and you don't know what happens because also Vietnam dropped a little bit, performance-wise," he said.

The Azkals are clustered with Southeast Asian neighbors Vietnam and Indonesia in the tournament, alongside Iraq in Group F.

They will face Indonesia next on Tuesday, November 21, at the same venue.

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