Azkals fight for dear life

Philippines – The Philippine Azkals must beat Bangladesh Friday if they hope to advance to the main draw of the Asian Football Confederation Challenge Cup next year.

To survive, the Filipinos will have to go through the proverbial eye of the needle since they will be battling a dangerous Bangladesh side in their last group qualifying match at the Aung San Stadium in Rangoon, Myanmar.

Although ranked way below the Azkals in the FIFA world standings, Bangladesh showed a glimpse of its potential when it stunned host Myanmar, 2-0, on Wednesday night.

Against Myanmar, the Azkals could only manage a 1-1 draw last Monday.

The Azkals are ranked 151 while Bangladesh 174th.

Compounding the Azkals’ woes will be the absence of midfielder Simon Greatwich.

The 22-year-old Filipino-British, who earned his first yellow card on Monday, will sit out Friday’s game after being slapped with a second yellow for diving in the penalty area of the Palestinians, who held the Azkals to a scoreless draw the other night.

Game time is 5 p.m. (Manila time) and the Azkals can’t afford to lose or even settle for another draw because that will mean the end of their campaign.

A victory, however, assures them one of the two slots at stake in the tournament’s finals next year.

Held to a draw twice, the Azkals are currently at third spot in Group A with two points behind Bangladesh (three points) and Palestine (four points), which have the best chance of advancing. Myanmar is at the cellar with a point.

The PH-Bangladesh tiff will be held simultaneously with the closing Myanmar-Palestine clash in a different venue to avoid manipulation of the results.

A victory over Bangladesh will give the Azkals five points and a spot to the next round regardless of the outcome of the other match.

But if the Azkals lose or settle for a draw, they will be eliminated.

Midfielder Chieffy Caligdong and newcomer Yannick Tuason showed flashes of offensive and defensive brilliance, but it proved not enough to topple the tall Palestinians on Friday.

“I’m satisfied with the result,” Azkals German coach Hans Michael Weiss was quoted as saying. “I have seen a very strong Palestine team that we really had to endure. It was not an easy match.”

source: manilabulletin

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MB Azkals fight for survival against Palestine Wednesday

(MB) MANILA, Philippines — After blowing away a golden chance to win their opening game against Myamar, the Philippine Azkals are now in a must-win situation when they tangle with group leader Palestine in Day 2 of the group stage of the AFC Challenge Cup Wednesday at the Thuwunna Stadium in Rangoon.

The 5 p.m. match is of utmost importance for the Azkals, who need to win their remaining two games – the other against Bangladesh on Friday – to stay in the hunt for one of the two berths at stake in the main draw next year.

The Azkals, who were held to a 1-1 draw Monday night, are tied with Myanmar at second with one point each in the four-nation Group A.

Palestine, which romped to a 2-0 victory over Bangladesh also last Monday, leads the group with three points. A win is equivalent to three points while a draw one.

The top two teams at the end of the single round group elimination will advance, along with other top two finishers in three Groups B, C and D in the Elite 8 finals next year.

Myanmar takes on Bangladesh in the second game at 7:30 p.m.

A victory over Palestine will put the Filipinos on top of the group with four points although Myanmar can also forge a tie for the top spot should it dump Bangladesh in the second game. A defeat for the Filipinos and a win by Myanmar, however, will put the Philippines on the brink of elimination as Palestine will earn another three points entering the last playdate on Friday.

The Azkals found themselves on retreat for most part of the early goings opposite and aggresive Myanmar side until an opportunity presented itself when Kyaw Zin Htet was redcarded in the second half.

Filipino-British James Younghusband did not squander the opportunity, converting the resulting penalty kick in the 76th minute that sparked wild celebration among a tiny group of Filipinos in the 32,000-seater venue.

But the party proved to be short-lived.

Defender Khin Maung Lwin, benefiting from a free kick off a foul by Azkals’ Simon Greatwich, hit the equalizer deep in injury time.

It was a frustrating moment for the Azkals as the shot went around the wall and sped past goalie Neil Etheridge, who was successful thwarting a string of headers early on.

The Azkals are expected to keep a close watch on Murad Eleyan who scored a brace – in the 46th and 65th minutes – in the Palestine's latest win.

Meanwhile, the replay of PH-Myanmar match will be shown on Studio 23 from 10:15 p.m. to 1:15 a.m. Wednesday.  

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Azkals draw 1-1 vs Myanmar

MANILA, Philippines – Khin Maung Tun rescued an attack-minded 10-man Myanmar side with a goal deep in injury time that salvaged a 1-1 draw against the Philippine Azkals at the start of the group stage of the Asian Football Confederation Challenge Cup a Monday night at the Thuwunna Stadium in Rangoon.

Tun, defender, scored the equalizer in the 92nd minute off a free kick resulting from a foul by midfielder Simon Greatwich as the hosts spoiled the Azkals’ early celebration.

The shot which went around the wall and slipped past Azkals goalkeeper Neil Etheridge ruined the early party of the Filipinos, who already looked headed for a victory after Filipino-British James Younghusband scored a winner in the 76th minute.

Stepping up for his injured and absent brother Phil, James hit his sixth international goal for the Philippines off a penalty kick around the same time when a 5.8 magnitude earthquake, according to US Geological Survey, rocked Luzon at home.

It was the second time both teams battled to a draw in three months, the first ending in scoreless draw during their AFF-Suzuki Cup outing last Dec.

With the draw, both the Azkals and the Burmese collected one point apiece in the group stage which stakes two berths in the main draw next year. Had the Azkals protected Younghusband’s goal, they could have piled up three points in the singles round robin eliminations.

As a result, the Philippines will need to win its next two matches against Palestine and Bangladesh. The Azkals battle the Palestinians at 7:30 p.m. in the same venue Wednesday.

Myanmar went a man down when one of its players was shown a red card 10 minutes before the regulation ended.

But the hosts refused to just roll over and die before Tun scored the equalizer that sent some 30,000 hometown crowd in wild frenzy.

The first half saw the Burmese side attacking the Filipinos relentlessly but the 6-foot-3 Etheridge was always there to frustrate the hosts no end.

Etheridge showed his capability early when he saved a header from Pai Soe in the 8th minute. He made a spectacular save off a header Yan Paing 10 minutes later.

Legions of Azkals fans were disappointed at home as the match was not aired live on ABS-CBN's Studio 23. (MB)

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Philippine Azkas Midfielder Jason De Jong won't join Azkals in AFC Challenge Cup

MANILA, Philippines – Midfielder Jason de Jong has ruled himself out of the Philippine Azkals’ matches in the group qualifying tournament of Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Challenge Cup that starts March 21 in Rangoon, Myanmar.

De Jong, who missed the second leg of the pre-qualifying showdown against Mongolia last Tuesday, said his commitments with his club, Persiba Balikpapan, in the Indonesian Super League has prevented him from joining the team in Myanmar’s biggest city, where the Philippines will play the host (March 21), Palestine (March 23) and Bangladesh (March 25) in a single round eliminations.

Team coordinator Patrick Ace Bright broke the sad news about 20-year-old De Jong.

De Jong was able to play in the first leg of the series against Mongolia in Bacolod City.

“Hindi siya pinayagan ng club niya sa Indonesia,” Bright said yesterday.

Star striker Phil Younghusband will also miss the Azkals’ Myanmar campaign after pulling his hamstring last Tuesday against Mongolia.

The return of a key player and addition of promising recruits, though, could offset de Jong and Younghusband’s absence in the tournament.

The Azkals need to win at least two of their three matches in Myanmar to make it to the main draw next year.

Bright said goalkeeper Neil Etheridge and Rob Gier have confirmed their return to the Azkals, while five new players will be added to beef up their line up.

They will have two new strikers in Fil-Spanish Angel Aldeguer Guirado, who will fly in from Spain today, and Fil-German William Espinosa Guiridon plus Fil-German John Patrick Hinrichsen, whose mother is from Pagadian City, and David Basa and Yannick Tuason.(MB)

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Suzuki to stage U-23 football tourney in PH

MANILA, Philippines – ASEAN Football Federation Cup sponsor, Suzuki, will hold a national under-23 (U-23) football tournament in the country, said Philippine Football Federation chief Mariano Araneta Thursday.

The Suzuki U-23 National Football competition will kick off this March and will run until May, he said.

The PFF chief said the tournament will adapt the rules and guidelines of the AFF, wherein each team will play on a home-and-away series.

There will be a total of 8 teams— 2 each from the country's biggest islands and major region: Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao and the National Capital Region.

In the elimination, the 2 teams from each territory will compete for the right to represent their region in the semifinals.

The top 4 will battle their way to the finals.

Araneta said the best players in the tournament will make it to the national team, which will compete in the 26th Southeast Asian Games in November.

Suzuki, a Japanese corporation, has been sponsoring the AFF Cup since 2008.

During the 2010 Suzuki Cup, the Philippine Azkals made its mark in the Asean football scene by defeating then reigning champ Vietnam.

The Azkals eventually climbed their way up to the semifinal round.

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