The Philippine national men’s football team guns for a seat in the final of the 2012 ASEAN Football Federation Suzuki Cup when it clashes with Singapore in the second leg of their semifinal battle Wednesday at the Jalan Besar Stadium in the city-state. The Azkals, who forced a scoreless draw against the Lions last Saturday at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium in the first leg, only need at least a 1-1 draw, if not a victory, to book a ticket to the tournament final for the first time in history. “Everybody’s excited and everybody must deliver now,” Azkals coach Hans Michael Weiss said. “I think we have good chances.” The Azkals will see the return of Fil-Danish midfielder Jerry Lucena, who missed the squad’s last two matches in the tournament due to club commitments. They will also rely on the attacking prowess of brothers Phil and James Younghusband, Patrick Reichelt, Angel Guirado, among others, to provide the much-needed offensive firepower to help them advance to the final. But the Lions, who failed to enjoy the advantage of away goals which, in case of a tied aggregate score, will determine the winner of the series, believe that they can still pull off a victory over the Azkals. “At the end, in football, you cannot guarantee everything,” Lions coach Radojko Avramovic said. “I just hope we have quality and experience to go to the final.” Singapore will once again lean on the attacking duo of team captain Shahril Ishak and the 42-year-old Aleksandar Duric, who both gave headaches to the Azkals defense last Saturday after creating several chances at the goal. The 8,000-capacity Jalan Besar Stadium is expected to be jampacked by both Azkals and Lions fans, as tickets for the match have been sold out just moments after their release. AKTV’s live coverage of the second semifinal leg between the Azkals and Lions will start on 7:30 p.m.
Go Azkals! We we will always support win or lose. You guys are really bringing honor to the country.
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