A taste of sweet victory for Philippine Azkals

source: By Dennis Gasgonia and Barry Viloria, abs-cbnNEWs.com

MANILA, Philippines – Friday’s game was such a sweet victory for the Philippine Azkals who crashed into the 2012 Challenge Cup tournament finals by mangling the Bangladesh Bengal Tigers, 3-0.

Filipino booters traversed an arduous path toward the tournament proper, even surviving a series of earthquakes along the way.

After coming off two straight draws against Palestine and group stage host Myanmar, the Azkals were desperate for a win against Bangladesh.

The team played its cards right, surprising the Bengal Tigers with a relentless offense en route to a spectacular 3-0 victory.

Filipino-Spanish Angel Aldeguer Guirado played hero for the Azkals in that game, scoring 2 goals.

The Filipinos also received a great boost from Ian Araneta who struck the first goal during the first half.

The Azkals finished 2nd in the Group A bracket with a total of 5 points on 1 win and 2 draws, good enough for a trip to the 8-team Challenge Cup finals.

Good feeling
After their victory over Bangladesh, the Azkals expressed their gratitude to their adoring fans who closely followed their group stage games.

“Great win, good feeling, priceless!!! Thank you all for the support, couldn't have done it without you guys!” tweeted Azkals player Anton del Rosario.

“Heya all! Thank you for your support! Massive win! The team played well! Celebrations!” said goalkeeper Neil Etheridge through his Twitter page.

For Azkal Jason Sabio, it was a mission accomplished despite the criticisms coming from those who didn’t believe in them.

“Job done! AFC Challenge Cup here we come! We played amazing today. To the haters, that is how you man up! :) We are one We are Azkals! Boom,” tweeted Sabio.

“On to the final 8.. What a sweet victory! History in the books once more!! Thank you everyone for your undying support! :),” said team captain Aly Borromeo through his Twitter page.

Phil celebrates win
Azkals midfielder Phil Younghusband, who missed the group stage because of an injury, cheered his team for making history.

"Congratulations to the team for making history. They deserve this for all their hard work and even through difficult circumstances, we have shown the strength of a Filipino," he told abs-cbnNEWS.com.

Younghusband, whose brother James was a vital cog in the group stage matches, said he was initially worried with the team going through a do-or-die match.

"I was watching the updates through ANC and Twitter and I was obviously nervous before the game," he said.

However, he said that his nervousness turned into glee as the Azkals finished the match with 3 goals.

"But each time a goal was scored. I was celebrating... I am so so happy and proud of the team," he continued.

World Cup
Meanwhile, Younghusband said he is excited for the team’s upcoming games in the 2014 World Cup qualifiers.

The Azkals will play against a still unnamed team this coming June.
"I am looking forward to the World Cup qualifiers," he said.

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Posted in: azkals,football

Final or in the doghouse: Azkals go for broke vs Bangladeshis

source: By Abac Cordero (The Philippine Star) 

update:  fulltime PHL 3-0 Bngldesh [link]

RANGOON – The Azkals won’t settle for anything less than a victory in today’s closing matches of the AFC Challenge Cup group stage here.

After two successive draws, the only hope for the Philippines team to advance into next year’s eight-team finals is to beat Bangladesh.

Coach Michael Weiss said that’s what they’re going to do.

“We have to win the match. If you want to succeed you cannot do it with draws. We must win this match,” he said yesterday.

The Azkals took it nice and easy in the morning then left for the pitch at around 3 p.m. and try to get a little more used to the searing heat.

The Azkals, with a handful players coming in from Europe for this group stage, have played two afternoon matches here.

Bangladesh, on the other hand, has played two evening matches, and the Filipinos are hoping that the heat would slow down the players from Bangladesh.

Bangladesh lost to Palestine, 2-0, last Monday then came back to beat Myanmar the other night, 2-0, for a total of three points.

The Azkals, on the other hand, have two points behind two draws with Myanmar and Palestine. A victory over Bangladesh will mean everything for them.

A loss, or even a draw, will slam the door on the Azkals, and give Bangladesh the ride to the next round.

In case of ties, the winner-over-the-other rule and eventually the goal difference will apply.
Whatever, Weiss said the Azkals should go for the win.

“That will be the case tomorrow (today),” he said of the 3:30 p.m. (5 p.m. in Manila) match with Bangladesh at the Aung Sun Stadium of this former Myanmar capital.  

Simultaneously, Palestine plays Myanmar at the Youth Training Center.

Weiss is really hoping that the temperature, which could get as high as 37 degrees this afternoon, will favor the Azkals.

But he admitted that it has taken its toll on the Azkals as well, considering that at least five players in its lineup had just come from Europe or the United States where the weather is still cold.

“Three matches in five days are really very demanding. And I have players coming in from Europe so they cannot perform at the highest level. But I still hope the weather will be to our side,” he said.

The coach from Bangladesh, Robert Rubcic, thinks the same way, too.

“My team is very tired, very, very tired. We’ve played two games in three days and it’s been very difficult for my young players,” he said.

“That’s why it’s very difficult to say what will happen tomorrow. The Philippines has better individual players so I must change my tactic,” he said.

Bangladesh can fight for the draw, and just focus on defense, because that’s all they need to advance.

“It’s true. They might fight for the draw,” said Azkals skipper Aly Borromeo.

“That’s why we should go direct and put the pressure on them. Put the pressure on them right away and not hold back and wait for time. We’re all pumped up. It all boils down to this game,” he added.

“We should score early,” said defender Anton del Rosario.

But Rubcic said they always go for the win.

“We will go for it. We will try. Everybody in Bangladesh wants us to win,” he said during yesterday’s press conference.

Weiss listened, a few rows back, as the Bangladeshi coach took the microphone.

“I think our boys are more confident. Now they have to show that they deserve to be in the next round,” he said.

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Posted in: afc challenge,azkals,football

Philippines 0-0 Palestine

source: the-afc.com


Yangon: Palestine took a step closer to the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup on Wednesday when they drew 0-0 with the Philippines to remain undefeated after two of their three qualifying Group A matches.


The Palestinians, who reached the quarter-finals of the 2006 edition, came closest to breaking the deadlock at the Youth Training Centre Stadium with Murad Eleyan, scorer of both goals in his side’s 2-0 win over Bangladesh in their qualification campaign curtain-raiser, hitting the post in the 18th minute.

The Azkals, meanwhile, struggled to get into their stride with their best effort of the match coming in the 64th minute when skipper Emelio Caligdong saw his close-range effort blocked before the 28-year-old’s Philippines Air Force team-mate Yanti Basrales, a 59th minute substitute for Ian Araneta failed to convert the rebound.

The Philippines, who conceded a stoppage-time goal to draw 1-1 with Myanmar in their opening match, take on Bangladesh on Friday while Palestine face a tough finale against the Group A hosts.

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Posted in: afc challenge,azkals,football

Azkals blow won game, take draw

source: By Abac Cordero (The Philippine Star)

RANGOON – The Philippine Azkals let a won match slip away yesterday, allowing Myanmar a goal in the 90th minute of their AFC Challenge Cup showdown at the Youth Training Center here.

James Younghusband scored on a penalty kick in the 76th minute, and brought joy to the entire team and the tiny, flag-waving Filipino contingent up in the stands.
But it wasn’t to last long.

All seemed lost for Myanmar, which has never lost a match against the Filipinos, until midfielder Khin Maung Lwin was fouled, a soft challenge, by Azkal Simon Greatwich.

The free kick was awarded just on top of the penalty box. Then the unexpected happened as Lwin’s kick found an opening underneath the wall and straight into the goal.

Azkals goalie Neil Etheridge couldn’t believe his eyes as he looked back at the ball. The rest of the Azkals froze under the Myanmar sun.

As Myanmar scored the equalizer, the scoreboard said, “90:00. Myanmar 1. Philippines 1.”

The stadium almost exploded after Myanmar scored the equalizer.

After one brief possession for the Azkals, the referee blew the final whistle.

Etheridge looked furious inside the pitch as he joined his teammates. It looked like they were trying to console one another in the face of a bitter, painful draw.

There are two matches left for the Azkals, one against Palestine tomorrow, also at 3:30 p.m. (5 p.m. in Manila) and against Bangladesh on Friday.

A victory over Myanmar could have made life easier for the Azkals who need two wins or six points in three matches to assure itself of a ticket to next year’s finals.

A draw is worth a point. The Azkals will take it just because it’s better than a loss.

 

“It was the correct result for both teams. I think both teams could live with the result,” said Azkals coach Michael Weiss during the post-match press conference.

The Myanmar coach, Milan Zibadinovich of Serbia, couldn’t hide his disappointment that Myanmar ended up with the draw.

It was the same result between the Philippines and Myanmar during the Suzuki Cup last December when Milan, a well-traveled coach, was not yet around with the team.
“I am not happy with the result,” he told the media.

“People are not satisfied, nobody is satisfied. People want a good result,” said Milan who vowed to institute major changes in his lineup if the others don’t play the way they should.

“I will call on the young players from our Olympic (qualifying) team if needed. First half should have been 3-0 for Myanmar. But the question is what happened in the second half?” he said.

The Azkals were all over their hosts in the second half, with near goals coming within minutes of each other, in the 66th (Younghusband), 67th (Yanti Barsales) and 69th (Barsales).

New recruit Angel Guirado of Spain out on a show in the second half, challenging and evading his Myanmar defenders with ease, that even the local crowd seemed to enjoy it.

In 2004, the Philippines lost to Myanmar, 1-0, in the Tigers Cup in Thailand, and in 2007 they battled to a scoreless draw.

After the scoreless first half, it was pretty evident who the busier team was, especially in offense.

Myanmar easily had six chances to score in the opening half, the first couple of them coming off corner kicks from the right side.

It was in the eighth minute when Myanmar nearly broke the ice, and inside two minutes came two more chances, one with Etheridge losing control of the handle.

In the 9:19 mark, Etheridge faced a very dangerous 2-on-1 situation, and crowd cheered in anticipation of a goal. But Myanmar’s Pai Soe’s kick was just a little to the right.

In the 11th minute another Myanmar attempt went just a foot over the crossbar, and in the 17th a Myanmar header from inside the six-yard box fell into Etheridge’s hands.

Midfielder Myo Min Tun and forward Yan Paing made it difficult for the Azkals with their near conversions.

The Azkals never got into scoring position in the first half. They tried hard in offense, but it was either the Myanmar defense was tight or they just couldn’t get it going.

Guirado made a swift move against his defender in the 31st minute, and had the crowd of about 5,000 recognizing his effort.

Myanmar had gone for the goal early, and almost succeeded. Close to two dozen photographers, early in the first half, had positioned themselves near the Philippine goal.

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Posted in: azkals,football

Azkals live broadcast in peril

source: By FRANCIS SANTIAGO/mb.com.ph

MANILA, Philippines – The live telecast of the Philippine Azkals’ three matches in the group stage of the Asian Football Confederation Challenge Cup in Myanmar is in jeopardy after the Rangoon government denied the request of ABS-CBN to bring in cameras to broadcast the games.



Myanmar will only allow foreign broadcast groups to tap into the government telecast but this too has not been approved at presstime with only two days left before the Azkals face the hosts in game one of the Challenge Cup.


An ABS-CBN officer confirmed that it has yet to get the approval of Myanmar’s information ministry for the live feed of the tournament.


The Philippines is competing for one of two qualifying berths for the tournament’s main draw scheduled in 2012.


The Azkals take on hosts Myanmar on Monday, Palestine on Wednesday, Bangladesh on Friday.


“We’re still waiting for permit from the information ministry. Mahigpit kasi yung junta sa live telecast,” said Diana Sayson, an ABS-CBN producer. “Walang TV coverage ang news kasi bawal magdala ng camera. We are coordinating with the Myanmar Football Federation.”


Media is strictly controlled in Myanmar which filters bad news, criticisms, report of natural disasters and sometimes enforces a news blackout whenever the national football team loses, according to the British Broadcasting Corporation’s country profile.


Another problem facing ABS-CBN, which will broadcast the games on Studio 23, is that even if it gets the green light from Myanmar to tap into its government station, it may not still be able to air the games live on March 23 and 25 because the schedule of the football matches, set at 5 p.m. (Manila time), conflict with timeslots of the PBA games which are scheduled every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday set around the same time.


“Maybe, mag-live muna sa Balls (cable channel also owned by ABS-CBN) for the two playdates,” Sayson said. “Malabo mag-give way ang PBA. It’s like apples and oranges.”


The Philippine Football Federation and ABS-CBN forged a deal early this year allowing the TV station to cover all Azkals games in the Challenge Cup.


Studio 23 aired the Azkals’ home-and-away pre-qualifying series against Mongolia held in Bacolod City and Ulan Bator, Mongolia.


Under the contract, the Azkals get P500,000 share for every coverage of the games on local soil against an international opponent while P250,000 whenever the games are played abroad.

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Posted in: azkals,football,studio 23

The Final Score: Azkals' apologies unacceptable

source: By MICO HALILI

Tuesday morning, I was asked during an interview on GMA NEWS TV's "News To Go" if, as a basketball commentator, I felt jealous over football's emergence.



My reply, "Not at all."

I'm happy that even on a bad day, football owns the spotlight. Happy that by advancing later in the afternoon, they can continue to spread the gospel of goals. Happy that they all made it to Mongolia in one piece. Happy that they soldiered on, or Azkaled on, by riding a roller-coaster from Manila to Ulan Bator. Truthfully, I'm happy because they showed up and clearly tried.

I believe in contexts; to juxtapose performance with circumstance. Some call it rationalization. I call it factoring in the human element. This is what one learns when you grow up cheering for, devote time and energy to teams which don't win all the time.

How many obstacles can a man take? How much cold can the lungs bear? How much of a phenomenon is one team supposed to sustain? How much perfection can men straddling through a gauntlet achieve? Even as Coach, how much latitude was Michael Weiss supposed to give?

Since I have too much respect for coaches, I try not to second-guess them. In any sport. I'm not about to start now. Since I have too much respect for circumstance, I won't judge the quality of the Azkals' hard work by the levity of their tweets.

Sometimes, great effort must coincide with a great performance. Other times, effort, no matter how great, can't manufacture the performance it deserves. The Azkals looked sluggish in Ulan Bator. They seemed out of it. Not where they were supposed to be on the turf. Not as sharp as many expected them to be. They often shifted from out-hustled to out-of-breath.

The Azkals appeared frozen, over 4,000 feet above sea level, stifled by the tundra of mixed experiences, long nights, misplaced luggage and the strange pressure caused by being a favored team. I'm not jingoistic.

I don't defend them just because they have Philippine colors emblazoned on their chests. But how can one overlook challenges piled on top of other challenges. Should they apologize for not dominating Mongolia?

Some of them did.

I won't apologize for commenting on the Azkals even if I don't have a PhD in corner kicks and perfect headers. If the Azkals don't have PhD's in earthquake management, airport hopping and sub-zero-temperature efficiency, neither should they.

My practical degree in athletes' behavior, however, earned from 20 years of watching, working with and covering competitors from various disciplines up-close, tells me this: they feel pain when they're hurt, they get anxious under stress, their teeth chatter when it snows, they gasp for air when pushed to the limit.

Just like most of us.

Thus, in the context of convoluted travel plans, frayed nerves and a most cumbersome way to play one match, sorry Azkals, I can't accept your apologies. But please, accept my thanks. 

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Posted in: azkals,football

Azkals coach tells fans: Don't worry

source:mb.com.ph

MANILA, Philippines — Even though there appears a slight concern in Philippine Azkals’ ability to deal with playing in a freezing condition, Azkals coach Hans Michael Weiss is not about to press the panic button.


Only three days left before their crucial AFC Challenge Cup qualifying rematch against Mongolia in Ulan Bator, Weiss remains upbeat the Azkals can cope up with the freezing weather condition despite losing to the Kanto University football team in a tune up match, 4-0, in Gotemba City, Japan last Wednesday.

“No worries for all Azkals fans,” the German mentor, who turned 46 Friday, told the Bulletin in an e-mail interview.

“(Yes) we had big problems adapting to the weather and had a match versus a good university side… but the result really doesn’t matter too much and it shows you that we still have to learn a lot.”

Weiss acknowledged that the college team they faced was superior in both technique and teammanship than the Azkals side, saying: “The team (Japanese) trains under professional conditions since young age, (and) they are affiliated to Yokohama Marinos, a big club in Japan. Some of these players might be pros in the future.”Azkals team manager Dan Palami agreed.

“It’s okay (with the loss). Our intention was really not to win, but to get the players acclimatized with the cold weather,” Palami said in a phone interview yesterday.

Palami was so confident about the team’s chances that he believes the team’s performance against the Japanese team would be enough to beat the Mongolians for the second time.

“Yes (we can still beat them),” said Palami, who added that the Azkals were safe following a powerful 8.4-magnitude earthquake that triggered a massive tsunami in the northeastern part of Japan.

“The Azkals are safe… felt the tremors but otherwise OK. Airports have been closed, hopefully it will not affect our flight to Mongolia tomorrow,” Palami posted on his Twitter account.

The Azkals were playing another Japanese university team in Gotemba City at presstime and Weiss appears unconcerned if ever the team loses again because he said the locals are still adjusting with the condition and “several players have been missing, so that was also a big factor.”

Fil-American Jason Sabio and Fil-British Simon Greatwich flew from the US and joined the team only yesterday afternoon. Two more Fil-foreigners, Ray Jonsson and Jason de Jong, will rejoin the team in Ulan Bator next week to complete the line up.

Meanwhile, Philippine Football Federation president Mariano “Nonong” Araneta said the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation had approved the release of a P2- million grant for the Azkals’ campaign in the Challenge Cup.

He said the amount will help foot the bill for the Azkals’ travel expenses since the mandatory $20,000 aid by the AFC was not enough.

Armed with a 2-0 edge after beating the Mongolians last Feb. 9 in Bacolod City, the Azkals need only a draw to advance to the group stage in Myanmar.

Should the nationals prevail, they will meet Bangladesh, Palestine and the host nation in a single-round battle for the top two slots to the regular draw of the Asian Challenge Cup in 2012.

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Posted in: azkals,football

Azkals unfazed by wintry conditions in Ulan Bator

source:Philippine Daily Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines—Filipino striker Phil Younghusband remains convinced that the abject wintry conditions in Ulan Bator will not pose much of a problem for the Philippines in the second leg of its AFC Challenge Cup qualifying duel with Mongolia this month.



The 23-year-old striker believes he has played in even worse conditions while seeing action for Chelsea in the Reserve League in England.

“I just think that as long as you’re running around the pitch, that won’t be a problem,” Younghusband, who scored one goal in the 2-0 win over Mongolia in the first leg in Bacolod City, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

“On that day, I would rather be playing on the pitch than just watching the game [from] the stands.”

Younghusband said he was disappointed at the way Mongolia played the first leg, where the visitors opted to just sit back and defend.

“I expected them to be better,” said Younghusband. “At least they should have shown some composure on the ball.”

Younghusband added: “I don’t think I can be called complacent that even without Neil (Etheridge) and Rob (Gier) we can get a result in Mongolia.”

The scorer of 13 international goals for the Philippines believes the Azkals can come away with at least a 4-nil victory in Mongolia and move into the group qualifying in Yangon, Myanmar.

Temperatures in Ulan Bator were recorded at -13 degrees Celsius on Wednesday. The second match on March 15 is set at 1 p.m., which is already considered the hottest time of the day in the Mongolian capital.

The National Stadium in Ulan Bator has an artificial pitch and the Azkals have been familiarizing themselves with the surface by training at the International School Manila.

The Azkals underwent an unconventional training routine on Wednesday, walking through “Winter Wonderland,” one of the attractions in a theme park in Manila, before practicing at the ISM.

“We want the players to get a feel of the weather, see if they can really handle it,” said Azkals manager Dan Palami.

Palami, who will receive the Executive of the Year Award for his work with the Azkals during the Philippine Sportswriters Association-Coca Cola Awards Night on Saturday, expressed confidence that the team will make an impact beyond the Mongolia match.

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Posted in: azkals,football

Moment of Magic Decides Manchester Derby

source: By ROB HUGHES (nytimes.com)




LONDON — No matter how or where we view the sport, soccer is the world’s game because of the way it can thrill every man, woman and child, wherever they see it.

Goals, without a doubt, are the purpose of it all.

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Posted in: football

Steelers lick wounds after Super Bowl defeat

source: Agence France-Presse



DALLAS - The Pittsburgh Steelers fell short of adding another Super Bowl title to their history but the players said they learned some valuable lessons along the way.

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Posted in: football