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| Philippine football team goalkeeper Neil Etheridge (left) works against the vaunted Vietnam team during the Suzuki Cup. (EPA) |
In an incredible year for Philippine football, Manny Pacquiao has to settle for second place behind the gritty bunch of football players, fondly known as the Azkals.
The Azkals placed the Philippines in the international football map with their unprecedented performance in the Asean Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Cup. A merry mix of Fil-foreign and homegrown talents, the Azkals stunned powerhouse Vietnam, 2-0, and drew with Singapore and Myanmar to reach the semifinals for the first time against Indonesia.
As one veteran scribe puts it, the team’s win against Vietnam was like Brunei beating the Philippine basketball team.
The Azkals’ journey began with the entry of young British coach Simon McMenemy who replaced compatriot Des Bulpin last September.
The team, whose core has been playing since 2004, also got a new manager in Dan Palami who belongs to a family of educators in Leyte. Palami poured funds into the team that was then training for the qualifiers in Laos.
The Nationals eventually earned a place in the main tournament by registering five points (one-win and two-draws) in three games, including a draw over host Laos in the second match. In that contest held on Oct. 24, the Azkals escaped defeat when James Younghusband scored in stoppage time to preserve a 2-2 tie that stunned the boisterous home crowd.
The magic continued in Vietnam, one of the two sites of the Suzuki Cup tourney, when the team salvaged a 1-1 draw with former three-time champion Singapore, a squad that has some naturalized players. This time, it was Chris Greatwich who scored in injury time off a cross from Younghusband in the 94th minute.
Then came the match against Vietnam.
Playing before 40,000 fans at the My Dinh National Stadium, the Azkals blanked the home team, 2-0, on goals by Greatwich and Phil Younghusband. Greatwich made the first goal, a header in the 37th minute. The Vietnamese tried to counter, but couldn’t get past goal keeper Neil Etheridge, who began his stint two years ago in Iloilo as an 18-year-old member of Fulham FC in England. Phil Younghusband added salt to injury with a goal in the 79th minute, triggering a flood of messages on social-networking sites worldwide.
The Azkals eventually earned that elusive berth when they forged a scoreless draw with Myanmar and arranged a two-leg home-and-away duel with Indonesia. They finished with five points (one-win, two draws) in Group B but the celebration of the momentous occasion turned to dismay when they learned they couldn’t play at home.
The Panaad Stadium in Bacolod City was ruled not fit for the match against Indonesia. Competing in front of crowds of 70,000-85,000 raucous people at Bung Karno Stadium for in the semis, the Nationals lost twice to the Indonesians, yielding a goal each as naturalized Indonesian Cristian Gonzales scored all of the goals. Gonzales, an Uruguayan prior to his naturalization, made Etheridge pay dearly for his defensive miscue with a header off a cross in the 32nd minute of the first leg then delivered an impressive strike that sailed past the outstretched arms of a diving Etheridge in the 43rd minute of the second leg, thus ending the dream run.
Despite the losses, the Azkals have sparked renewed interest in the sport.
They are set to play three tournaments, particularly the AFF Challenge Cup against Mongolia on February [nicky: Azkals won against Mongolia] with significant financial backing from the likes of sports patron Manny V. Pangilinan and Asia Brewery.
After much politicking, Mariano Araneta's election as new president of the Philippine Football Federation finally gained recognition from FIFA. Araneta’s ascencion came after Jose Mari Martinez, then Philippine Football Federation (PFF) president, was removed from office for alleged misapporpriation of funds.
/via Manila Bulletin
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