Philippines national team head coach Thomas Dooley stated that his team have to face reality after suffering a 8-1 heavy loss to China in friendly.
The game at Guangzhou Tianhe Sports Centre Stadium in Guangzhou was a preparation for The Azkals before heading to Tajikistan to continue their 2019 Asian Cup Qualifiers campaign.
““We are still far away from that level. There are many reasons why things like last Wednesday happened,” said Dooley was quoted by SunStar.
“Our players did their best, but in the second half it was like a race of Formula 1 against Kia. Timing and preparation against a team like China is by far, not enough.”
The 55-year-old American tactician is also hoping that the lopsided defeat against China won’t drain the team’s confidence against Tajikistan on June 13.
“I don’t know if it will affect the game. I hope not. The players are down, but I’m sure we will get them back up again,” he concluded.