Friday, April 8, 2016

China Called Philippines a "True Friend"

Javier Patiño
China and Philippines may be bickering over who owns the right over the West Philippine Seas, but in soccer, they found a common goal.

The Philippine Azkals stunning 3-2 victory over North Korea on 29 March created euphoric ripples in China, which benefited from the win as it helped the Chinese side qualify for the third round of 2019 World Cup Qualifying.

The Chinese beat Qatar, 2-0, in their final group match, but they also needed a string of results to go their way to qualify.

The Azkals’ victory over the 94th ranked North Korea turned out to be the most unexpected, yet most crucial result in China’s bid to make the next round.

In an online report on the Wall Street Journal, Chinese fans called the Philippines a "true friend" for helping their side progress amid China’s sweeping territorial claims in the South China Sea.

Chinese fans also gave Javier Patiño, the Azkals’ Filipino-Spanish striker, a hero's welcome. Patiño plays club football for Henan Jianye in the Chinese Super League.

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