Tuesday, November 27, 2012

All Hail Chieffy: Azkals beat Vietnam anew, 1-0

By Alder Almo (philstar.com) MANILA, Philippines - Just when the semis door is about to shut down, the Azkals turned to a fallen hero to repeat the "Hanoi Miracle". Chieffy Caligdong bounced back from a sub-par performance in a 2-1 loss to Thailand to score the lone goal in a 1-0 win Tuesday night at the Ramajangala Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand that put the Philippine Azkals' one foot in the semis of the AFF Suzuki Cup. With five minutes left in the regulation, Caligdong received a well-placed lob pass in the left flank from Angel Guirado on top of the box and used his left foot to slot in the goal that roared all the way to the Philippines. "Sabi ko sa sarili ko, darating din yung chance na makakabawi ako sa laro ko sa Thailand," Caligdong said in a phone interview with AKTV's Jason Webb and guests La Salle coach Hans Smit and former Azkal Armand del Rosario right after the match. Caligdong, who started against Thailand, came in as the final substitute of the Azkals replacing James Younghusband in the 75th minute which proved to be the turning point of the erstwhile scoreless match. The 30-year old team skipper immediately made his presence felt but failed to connect in an earlier pass by Guirado. The duo linked up again, this time, with Guirado missing a chance to score as his header went straight to Vietnam's keeper Hong Son Duong. It was not until 10 minutes after he came in that Caligdong would get another chance to drill in the country's biggest goal in the tournament so far. "Sobrang saya ko. Ibinigay ko 101%. Masaya kami lahat dito sa dugout but we can't celebrate. May laban pa kami. We have a big chance now to enter the semis," Caligdong added. The Azkals now need to follow up this victory with another one against Myanmar on Friday to officially book a semifinals seat. Thailand clinched the first semifinals slot in their group with a 4-0 demolition of Myanmar in the nightcap for their second win in a row. It was the second consecutive win for the Azkals over Vietnam, their only wins in their eight head-to-head meetings. The ASEAN's top ranked Vietnam (138th) also lost 2-0 to the 143rd-ranked Azkals in the group stages of the same tournament two years ago that signaled the rise of the "Azkal-mania". The Azkals went on to their first semifinals appearance in the region's top flight competition and now has a great chance to repeat or even surpass that feat. Caligdong was not the only hero, who stepped up in this match, for the Azkals. There was Ed Sacapano who was also spectacular submitting a clean sheet after allowing two goals against Thailand in their opening game. Juani Guirado anchored the rock-solid Back Four alongside Rob Gier, Dennis Cagara and Ray Jonsson, who all worked doubly hard especially in the second half when the Red Warriors seemed to have taken control and collared the lion's share of possessions. And there were the coaching staff led by assistant coaches Edwin Cabalida and Edzel Bracamonte, who steadied the Azkals with timely substitutions, in lieu of suspended coach Michael Weiss. Not until Guirado and Caligdong came in that momentum shifted back to the Azkals' favor on the night the country's top striker Phil Younghusband struggled on offense. The Azkals was more compact and played better than the Thailand match early in the first half with Phil Younghusband getting a lot of scoring chances, none bigger than the one he had in the 11th minute. The younger Younghusband, however, muffed the chance to put the Azkals on board as he slipped in the last minute causing him to lose control of the ball. With the Azkals up by 1 in the latter part of the match, Vietnam, who came here looking for the sweet revenge that never came, almost pulled a draw had Le Tan Tai's attempt did not hit the cross bar after Sacapano's deflection. The Azkals' defense held up in the closing minutes when the Vietnamese desperately looked for the equalizer. The Azkals-Myanmar match will be telecast live 9pm on Friday over at AKTV on IBC right after the PBA double-header.

Monday, November 26, 2012

Breakthrough for Mulders

By Cedelf P. Tupas (Philippine Daily Inquirer)
BANGKOK—The agonizing wait for a first international goal ended Saturday night for Paul Mulders at the AFF Suzuki Cup here. But the Fil-Dutch midfielder left the Rajamangala Stadium pitch in a somber mood after the Azkals fell in a 1-2 loss to host Thailand in a bruising encounter at the start of the prestigious tournament. “It would have been better if we got something out of the game,” Mulders said after breakfast at Golden Tulip Hotel here. Mulders had been longing for time on the pitch ever since he linked up with the Azkals here after struggling to get minutes with his Dutch first division club ADO Den Haag this season. Being with the Azkals has become a sanctuary of sorts even though he had misgivings with the position he was tasked to fill when he joined the side. Mulders was deployed as leftback, filling in for the absent Ray Jonsson in the World Cup Qualifying against Sri Lanka last year. Eventually, Azkals coach Michael Weiss assigned the 30-year-old to his preferred position as an attacking midfielder, which augured well in the campaign in the AFC Challenge Cup where he assisted on one of Phil Younghusband’s four goals. It was in the AFC Challenge Cup where Mulders tantalizingly came close to scoring three times. He was up to the task Saturday night. Getting a cutback from the excellent Patrick Reichelt, who came in as a substitute in the 60th minute, Mulders beat Thai goalkeeper Kawin Thamsatchan with a left-footed strike from 10 yards with 13 minutes left to play. “It (the goal) is going to help my confidence a lot,” he said. “I still think we can do better in the next two games.”

Saturday, November 24, 2012

Azkals yield bloody opener to Thailand in Suzuki Cup

By Alder Almo (philstar.com) | Updated November 25, 2012 - 12:16am MANILA, Philippines – A bloodied Philippine Azkals side yielded a close 2-1 loss to host Thailand in the opening of the Group A matches in the 2012 AFF Suzuki Cup late Friday night at the cavernous Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. Physically battered at the start, the Azkals battled the War Elephants toe to toe in the first 37 minutes only to surrender a goal in the next minute that signaled the start of their fall. Showing precision in their short passing game, a three-touch combination by the Thais led to a beautiful goal by Jakkapan Pornsai right at the goal’s mouth as Phl keeper Ed Sacapano was caught by surprise. Stunned by the goal, the Azkals let up again on defense as the War Elephants doubled their lead in the span of only two minutes. Anucha Kitpongsri outraced the Azkals’ back four in a counter-attack and baited Sacapano to move out then calmly went to his left to avoid the Phl keeper before slotting in the goal that put more pressure on the visitors. With so much talk on the Azkals’ rise since gate-crashing the Suzuki Cup semis two years ago, the Thais showed the visitors that they are in for a dogfight this time around. Phl’s star striker Phil Younghusband got a nasty cut above his left eye inside the first 10 minutes of the match before midfielder Jerry Lucena got hurt at the back of his head in a mid-air collision. The physicality of the match left the Azkals in total disarray in the first half. The momentum, however, shifted to the never-say-die Azkals in the second half as they pulled one back despite Phil and James Younghusband taken out. Singapore match hero Marwin Angeles came in for Phil at the turn while Patrick Reichelt substituted James in the 60th minute that proved to be a stroke of genius. Five minutes later, Thailand's star Teerasil Dangda left defender Juani Guirado with a bloodied mouth on a wayward elbow that, curiously, only drew a yellow card from the Japanese referee. That incident only fed the Azkals' desire to get back at them with a morale-boosting goal. Reichelt made his presence felt. Fresh off the bench, substitute's pace posed problems for the Thais and his swift cross found an unmarked Paul Mulders, who scored his first international goal in the 76th minute. Suddenly, the Azkals were energized and became the aggressor constantly attacking and challenging the War Elephants’ defense. But just as Phl is making progress in the match, the unthinkable happened. The Azkals’ German coach Hans Michael Weiss was sent off for tossing the ball to a fallen Thai player on the ground. Phl booters tried to rally behind their ejected coach but failed to capitalize on one chance after another as the War Elephants parked the bus. Thailand continued its mastery of the Philippines on the pitch extending their head-to-head record to 16-1, their lone loss to the Filipino booters coming in more than four decades ago – a 3-1 defeat in the 1971 Merdeka Games. Despite the loss, Weiss took it as a good result for the Azkals, whose last goal against the three-time Suzuki Cup champion prior to this match was way back in 2004 Tiger Cup. “Our couple of changes in the second half paid off,” said Weiss during the post-match interview. Facing a possible suspension with his ejection, Weiss remained upbeat on the Azkals’ chances against Vietnam, whom they defeated 2-0 two years ago that paved the way for "Azkal-mania". “It’s not the best situation. We’ll try to make the best out of it,” Weiss added. The Azkals are now facing a must-win situation in their next two matches starting off against Vietnam on Tuesday before wrapping up the group stages on Friday versus Myanmar to repeat their semis appearance in 2010. Thailand took the provisional lead in the group with three points while Vietnam and Myanmar are tied with one point each after their 1-1 draw in the curtain-raiser. The top two teams in the group will advance to the crossover, home-and-away semifinals.

Suzuki Cup result Philippines vs Thailand

Suzuki Cup result Philippines vs Thailand Philippines 1 - 2 Thailand Goal By Paul Mulders

Suzuki Cup opener: Azkals open quest vs Thais

By Olmin Leyba (The Philippine Star) | Updated November 24, 2012 - 12:00am Matches today (Rajamangala Stadium) 5:30 p.m. (6:30 p.m. Manila time) – Vietnam vs Myanmar 8:20 p.m. (9:20 p.m. Manila time) – Thailand vs Philippines BANGKOK – The Azkals are back – and on the loose again – over the turf where they made a courageous stand two years ago that lit the fuse of football revival back home. It was the same AFF Suzuki Cup where a curious combine of Fil-foreign players and homegrown aces reached an improbable semifinal finish, in the process triggering a new wave of interest in the sport that gave birth to “Azkal-mania.” The Azkals take on powerhouse and host Thailand, no less, in the Suzuki Cup 2012 group stages before an expected hostile crowd at 8:20 tonight (9:20 p.m. in Manila) at the cavernous Rajamangala Stadium, the first of three tough tests in their mission to repeat their breakthrough semifinal showing in Southeast Asia’s prime tourney. “We’ve been thinking about this for several months already, we’ve been looking forward to really fielding a very strong team,” said Azkals manager Dan Palami. The Azkals finalized their 22-man roster for what’s considered the “Group of Death” in the company of Thailand, Vietnam and Myanmar. Ed Sacapaño and Ref Cuaresma were named in the goalkeeping post, along with Fil-German Roland Muller, who will only be available by the time of the finals, should Phl reaches that far. Ray Jonsson, Rob Gier, Juani Guirado, Dennis Cagara, Carlie de Murga, Jason Sabio, and Jeff Christiaens fill up the backline posts while James Younghusband, Jerry Lucena, Paul Mulders, Chieffy Caligdong, Demit Omphroy, Jason de Jong, Angel Guirado, Patrick Reichelt, Marwin Angeles and Chris Greatwich take midfield. Phil Younghusband and Denis Wolf will carry the offensive load. “Since the start of year, we’ve been gearing for the Suzuki Cup and now we’re here, we’re excited, we can’t wait to play our first game against Thailand and see how we’ll fare against our neighbors who, I’m sure have prepared as well. I hope we will be formidable against them and pull off some surprises,” said Palami. Standing in their way in the all-important opening game are the Thais, winners in 1996, 2000, 2002, plus a 12th man numbering tens of thousand hostile in the 80,000-seater stadium. “This game will determine the mood and where we stand, but again, we’ll take it one game at a time, and one plan at a time for every opponent and we’ll see,” said Azkals coach Michael Weiss. The Thais are expected to be spearheaded by in-form Teerasil Dangda, who finished the last Thai league season as joint top-scorer with 24 goals, and fellow Muang Thong United star Datsakorn Thonglao. “They (Thailand) are going to be a strong team. They got two main guys, number 7 (Thonglao) and 10 (Teerasil). They (Thailand) are your typical kind of good Southeast Asian team,” said Gier, who produced a scouting report on the Thais. Phl have lost all six meetings against Thailand since 1996 prior to the game but Thailand’s German coach Winfried Schafer doesn’t care much about history. “It’s past, it’s not important to me. But I sure hope (to keep that streak),” he said. Schafer personally scouted the Azkals when they beat Singapore, 1-0, in Cebu last week.

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Weiss downplays Azkals' improvement in FIFA rankings

YAHOO SPORT -
Don’t take the rankings too seriously. This, in a nutshell, was the stand of Azkals coach Hans Michael Weiss in reaction to news that the Philippines had just achieved a highest-ever ranking of 143 in the latest FIFA work rankings. “I think we should be happy that we improved our ranking in the last two years,” said the German mentor, “but we shouldn’t be over-obsessed with rankings. A ranking reflects the current status, not necessarily the strength of the team in general. Some teams choose not to play matches and then they automatically drop in the rankings. “We played a lot of matches. We took advantage of that. We became stronger for sure, but look at Thailand, for example. They have six World Cup qualifiers under their legs, and they were just beaten very narrowly by Australia. They lost in the last minute, 2-1 only. I think that’s a very, very decent result. So with this experience and with the homefield advantage, we will have to be prepared.” Owing to their relative inactivity, the Thais plummeted 13 notches to 152, or nine places below the Philippines, which is now the second highest-ranked country in Southeast Asia behind only Vietnam (138). Thailand beat Malaysia, 2-0, in a friendly played Wednesday night in Bangkok, but prior to that had played only seven matches this year. The Azkals square off against the Thais on November 24 in their opening group match of AFF Suzuki Cup in Bangkok, a match that is sure to test just how worthy the Philippines is of its FIFA ranking. Three days later, Vietnam, still smarting from that 2-0 loss inflicted by the Azkals two years ago which launched Azkals-mania, will try to avenge that humiliating defeat fashioned out in front of a stunned hometown crowd of 80,000. Late qualifier Myanmar rounds up the Philippines’ group matches on November 30. The top two teams from the group will advance to the semifinals. “We will be well-advised to take it one match at a time,” Weiss said when asked about the team’s chances in the so-called Group of Death. “The first match will be crucial. It’s always good to start positively. It will be in front of probably a very excited crowd. That can work well for the home team but that can also weigh heavily on their shoulders. We’ll probably go a little bit more conservatively into the game and then see what they can offer, and then we’ll make adjustments in our game. “It will be a very difficult match, but the team is strong and has made significant progress in the last three, four months.” Weiss and the coaching staff have scouted the Thais, and make no mistake, this team is much better than their current ranking. “I’ve seen their matches against Saudi Arabia, home and away, and Palestine, and they’re very quick in transforming from defense to offense. They have a no. 7 and their no. 10 is a top striker in the Southeast Asian region. All of their players are very quick and speedy and they have good experience.” Thailand advanced to the third round of the 2014 World Cup qualifiers, whereas the Philippines was eliminated by Kuwait in the second round. The Thais, though, failed to make it to the fourth round. Of course, the Azkals would like nothing better than to reprise their magical 2010 run, where they came out of nowhere and advanced to the semifinals after that shocking win over Vietnam and an equally stunning last-minute draw with Singapore. But top striker Phil Younghusband, who scored the second goal against Vietnam, knows the road will be much tougher this time. “The element of surprise is no longer there,” he said. “In 2010 they didn’t know what to expect from us. But obviously now, with the success of the Azkals over the last couple of years, the other countries are well aware of what we can do and they’ll do their homework.” Nonetheless, Younghusband, a national team fixture since 2005, likes the Azkals’ chances. “I’m looking forward to playing the hosts in the first game. Certainly it’ll be a full stadium. I think with the players we have, we have every right to feel very confident. Of course, you need a little bit of luck in every competition. But if we work hard, with a little bit of luck I’m sure we’ll do well.” Team captain Chieffy Caligdong also voiced guarded optimism, even as he feels the Azkals still can’t be considered favorites. “Group of Death,” said the Air Force stalwart. “Nandiyan iyong Thailand, iyong Vietnam, Myanmar. We’re not underestimating the opponent. Lahat sila, siyempre gusto din ng panalo. Prepared naman iyong team. Very proud ako sa teammates ko. Iyong preparation naming mahaba. “Underdogs pa rin kami. Pero siyempre huwag nila kami maliitin. Baka magulat sila.” “We will be going in with good confidence and good results in the last two months going into the tournament,” said Weiss. “I see the group as equally strong. Even Myanmar cannot be underestimated. All four teams can make it to the semifinals. We need a little bit of luck.” Should the Azkals again make it to the semifinals, they can rest assured that this time around, they will hold their home match on Philippine soil and avoid a repeat of the 2010 fiasco where the team was forced to play both semifinal matches in Jakarta since there was no suitable venue in the country. “Syempre iba na ang 2010 Suzuki Cup sa 2012 Suzuki Cup,” Caligdong said. "Kung makapasok ulit kami sa semifinals, siguro iyong nangyari two years ago hindi na mauulit. The PFF will provide the home field para sa team. Hindi naman kami nag-aassume na makakapasok kami sa semifinals, pero may tiwala kaming lahat.” The Azkals have one final tune-up game on November 15 in Cebu against Singapore, which the coaching staff will use to decide the final 22 players who will comprise the team in the group stage matches. Weiss expressed hope that Europe-based regulars Neil Etheridge and Stephan Schrock can join them. “The team is in good condition right now,” Weiss said. “We have done our homework. We have another two weeks where we will work hard and then identify the final 22 members who will be representing the team in the first three matches. Hopefully our friends from Europe will be joining the team.”