Azkals unfazed by wintry conditions in Ulan Bator

By Cedelf P. Tupas
Philippine Daily Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines�Filipino striker Phil Younghusband remains convinced that the abject wintry conditions in Ulan Bator will not pose much of a problem for the Philippines in the second leg of its AFC Challenge Cup qualifying duel with Mongolia this month.

The 23-year-old striker believes he has played in even worse conditions while seeing action for Chelsea in the Reserve League in England.

�I just think that as long as you�re running around the pitch, that won�t be a problem,� Younghusband, who scored one goal in the 2-0 win over Mongolia in the first leg in Bacolod City, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

�On that day, I would rather be playing on the pitch than just watching the game [from] the stands.�

Younghusband said he was disappointed at the way Mongolia played the first leg, where the visitors opted to just sit back and defend.

�I expected them to be better,� said Younghusband. �At least they should have shown some composure on the ball.�

Younghusband added: �I don�t think I can be called complacent that even without Neil (Etheridge) and Rob (Gier) we can get a result in Mongolia.�

The scorer of 13 international goals for the Philippines believes the Azkals can come away with at least a 4-nil victory in Mongolia and move into the group qualifying in Yangon, Myanmar.

Temperatures in Ulan Bator were recorded at -13 degrees Celsius on Wednesday. The second match on March 15 is set at 1 p.m., which is already considered the hottest time of the day in the Mongolian capital.

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