Wazzup Pilipinas!
With the crucial Azkals game against a strong Uzbekistan squad less than a month away, one Azkals player who is feeling the pressure is Filipino-Iranian midfielder Misagh Bahadoran.
Although nobody is putting the pressure on him, Bahadoran feels he has to bring his game one notch higher than his outstanding performances in the last two Azkals games where he nailed the team’s first goal against Bahrain and five days later against Yemen in the ongoing 2018 World Cup qualifiers.
The two wins gave the Philippines six points, second after North Korea in Group H. North Korea is leading the group having scored one more goal (5-4) than the Philippines in two matches.
“The expectation (on me) is high. The pressure is there. It’s harder being in that position now,” Bahadoran said in an interview after a morning training session at the Emperador Stadium in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City. His goal against previous Azkals tormentor Bahrain last June 11 was doubly significant for him as it was his first international goal in football.
But being no stranger to pressure in the past, Bahadoran appears ready for the demands building up around him presently. He acknowledges that the ongoing games are tougher being part of the qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup, the most widely viewed and followed sporting event in the world.
“I have to be prepared, physically and mentally. I have to be disciplined,” he stressed.