Ouch. Chinese Taipei 2, Philippine Azkals 1 Postgame thoughts.

Well done, Chinese Taipei. This was a team that didn't have any superstars and had no player that stood out technically, but came into town fit and full of confidence. Their keeper, Pan Wei Chih, was faultless with his positioning and punched balls cleanly all night long. He gets my game ball. Lee Meng Chan organized the defense just well enough.

When the visitors went 2-1 up, they, like a well-trained tortoise, retreated into a compact formation that stymied Filipino attacks.

Full marks to coach Chen Kuie-Jen who got his kids prepared and made sure they weren't overawed by our Euro-tinged lineup. This was a young team, and it showed in their work rate.

This is Football, folks. Were we the better team? Yes. We outshot Taipei sixteen to five, with nine of our attempts on target. Chinese Taipei's only shots on frame were their two goals. Too many of our shooters shot straight at Pan.

If you can't finish, you can't score. We missed Phil Younghusband more badly than we would have liked. He was in street clothes thanks to a calf strain. Paul Mulders had a groin issue and also didn't dress. Angel Guirado had his long mane cut and his shooting touch seems to have gone with it.

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I've always believed that Football, more than many other sports, is an underdog's game. Teams who are technically and tactically not the equal of their rivals can simply work hard, get some breaks, and gut out a result. That's what happened on Friday. That's what happens all the time in Football leagues all over the world, at every level. How do you think we beat Vietnam in 2010?

This is the nature of the game, and if you can't deal with it, then being a Football fan may not be for you. I hope Pinoy Football fans stick with the team. Other nations have been through worse. England, the 1966 World Cup champs, have seen their team's standing diminish greatly over the decades since that victory, and yet they continue to stand by their team.

That dude was offside! C'mon ref! Direc Al Neri of ABS-CBN told me after the game that he will review the footage of the first CT goal and try and freeze it at the moment when the pass is made. I hope he has a wide enough shot. If he can get it then I swear, I'm gonna share that sucker to everyone.

It really seemed like Li Mao was yards offside on the play. But the flag was never raised. My partner Darren Hartmann said it best.

“If he isn't offside then it's the best-timed run ever.”

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The crowd could have boosted the team more. The crowd trickled in late and did not fill up any of the stands despite the greatly reduced ticket prices from last year's match in Panaad against Guam. In that game the cheapest ticket was P200, on Friday, just P50.

But even worse, the galleries at Panaad were devoid of any energy. They only cheered when James Younghusband scored his goal at the stroke of halftime. There was no organized cheering, no drums, no cheerleaders. The Ultras Filipinas were missed. Props to the Kaholeros who were in the bleachers and brought the huge flag, but they were too few to make a big difference, at least from where I sat in the grandstand.

Pinoy crowds who don't have a history of cheering together (like UAAP teams) have a tendency to be reactive and not proactive. They wait for something to happen before they make noise. I saw it in FIBA Asia and I saw it again on Friday. I would love it if the crowds could somehow cheer as one to PUSH the team, especially when they are down. People should come to Azkals games to cheer, not just to watch. The crowd can and should, make a difference.

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Halfway through the game I wanted to put my bahag and headress on and walk around exhorting the fans to cheer. But I couldn't. I was working.

For the first time I can recall, the team did not walk around the pitch after the game to greet the fans. I don't blame them.

Perhaps something can be done in time for Tuesday's game. Perhaps we can get some drums in the house and organize something so that the Kaholeros or whoever can distribute themselves among the crowd and lead the cheers. Something. Anything. A home-field advantage should be felt by the lads on the pitch.

And now the good stuff. Schrock is still Schrock. He can still weave magic with the ball at his feet. His crosses and corners are low, boring heatseekers that can turn into powerful headers easily. He displayed a weapon on Friday that I didn't know he had in his arsenal, a magnificent long throw.

At first I thought it strange that OJ Porteria, who produced two shots on target, was sacrificed for Patrick Reichelt. But the switch worked out well when the Singhtarua winger delivered a headed pass to a wide open James Younghusband, who nodded into goal. I thought it showed great instincts by Reichelt to offload instead of heading for goal himself, which a lot of guys might have done.

Let's not lose hope. So we've lost at home to a team ranked more than thirty places below us. The nine-game Visayan unbeaten streak is history. But there is still Tuesday. A big win over Pakistan can give us the Peace Cup as long as Taipei doesn't draw or win on Sunday. The team is better than this, and knows it. The Azkals need to regroup, refocus and roar back.

And Phil needs that calf to heal quick.

Follow Bob on Twitter @bhobg333.