Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — After being the victims of a 5-1 demolition at the hands of Uzbekistan in their last FIFA World Cup Qualifier, the Philippine Azkals secured a precious point against Group H leader North Korea after a scoreless draw on Thursday (October 8) in Pyongyang.
Playing in front of a partisan North Korean crowd, the Filipinos had their work cut out for them against a team that crushed their previous tormentors Uzbekistan 4-2 in their last match.
With striker Javier Patiño out with injury, the Philippine frontline was led by Stephan Schrock, Iain Ramsay, and Patrick Reichelt to start out the match.
Behind them were Phil Younghusband, Manny Ott, Martin Steuble, Daisuke Sato, Luke Woodland, Amani Aguinaldo, Jerry Lucena, and Neil Etheridge.
The Azkals weathered the North Korean onslaught for 90 minutes, before being forced to go through eight minutes of added time to end the match. The Filipinos held firm until the end.
The Philippines continues its World Cup Qualifying bid with an away fixture against Bahrain on October 13.
