Schröck: We did ourselves proud
8th January 2019
Dubai: Philippines midfielder Stephan Shröck was full of pride after his side pushed highly-fancied Korea Republic all the way, before ultimately falling to a 1-0 defeat in their first ever AFC Asian Cup Finals match.
The Azkals defied pre-match predictions of an easy Korea Republic victory, frustrating the 2015 runners-up before Gamba Osaka front man Hwang Ui-jo finally settled the tie in the 67th minute.
Following the match at Al Maktoum Stadium, Shrock told the-AFC.com he was satisfied with his side's performance.
"Yeah we are very proud of that result," he said. "I mentioned earlier, Germany even lost 2-0 against Korea (Republic, at the 2018 FIFA World Cup).
"They have a lot of good players, they are composed and technically, tactically much above average for Asian players. We are happy with the performance, of course we hoped for a draw or a win, but we couldn’t get it and we have to take it.
"After a game like this you will be having one teary eye and one which is ok with the result and with the performance. Korea is an outstanding team in Asia and everyone knows it, so we can be happy with that."
Group C Matchday 1: Korea Republic vs Philippines
Sven Göran-Eriksson's side were industrious and well-organised against a Korean side looking to end a 59-year AFC Asian Cup title drought, holding them to five shots on target despite a possession rate exceeding 80 per cent.
Shröck, born in Bavaria to a German father and Filipino mother, revealed he had received support from far and wide following the match.
"We surprised everyone I think with the performance tonight," he said.
"I talked to some friends in Germany and from (Islamic Republic of) Iran, I received a lot of messages from other teams where former teammates are, and they are saying we did very well and we have something to build on.
"We have confidence, that’s why we qualified in the first place, and we believe always in ourselves to upset someone and be annoying to the other teams."
Now taking on even greater significance, the Philippines' next match is against China PR at Abu Dhabi's Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium on Friday.
Source: the-afc.com