Another 90 Minutes More (Philippines v Singapore - 2012 Suzuki Cup Semis)

After a pretty good group stage performance against tough opponents, the Philippine Men's National Football Team a.k.a. The Azkals have once again made it to the semi-final round of the AFF Suzuki Cup, Southeast Asia's most prestigious football tournament. For the 3rd time this year the Azkals face Singapore, though this time in a competitive 2-legged fixture with a lot at stake - a place in the finals.

This semi-final first leg was also billed as the "home match that never was" in reference to the missed opportunity of our country to host our national team for the home leg of our semi-final fixtures against Indonesia in 2010. Well, our boys finally made it happen and created this opportunity to play in front of the supporters and the fans. Rizal was nearly packed and everyone at the stadium was eager to relish this opportunity to support our boys on this momentous occasion in Philippine football.

The match ended in a scoreless draw after a forgettable first half where the Philippines were clearly outplayed by Singapore and they couldn't get any semblance of an offense going. As it was in the group stages, our defense has been the most positive aspect of this Suzuki Cup campaign so far. There were a few nervy moments but over-all our defense held firm and as it was in the group stage, goalkeeper Ed Sacapano proved pretty steady between those goalposts. It was a much better performance by the Azkals in the second half, exhibiting improved cohesion and fluidity in their offensive game. It wasn't enough to get a goal and they had better step it up in the second leg if they wish to go further in this tournament. On a positive note, the Azkals managed another clean sheet, their third in this tournament. More importantly, this means that the Philippines had denied Singapore an away goal.

Of course, a win and a definite advantage heading into the second leg would have been the ideal result, considering the team was playing in front of its home fans. That would have been an ideal result and a good gift to the supporters considering how long Philippine fans and supporters have been waiting for a moment like this, given the significance of the fixture. Then again, Singapore is no push over. They have experience, are 3 time champions of this tournament and have been in this situation before. So if a win wasn't possible, a scoreless draw is the next desirable result.

This is the beauty of 2-legged home and away fixtures with the away goals rule in effect. It creates various scenarios and raises many factors, making for some very interesting matches. The result of the first match will most likely influence the tactics, strategy and approach to the second match and it's quite fascinating to see how coaches, players and teams deal with the situation.

At the end of the match both coaches seem pleased with the result. Singapore is looking forward to playing at home, confident that with the support of their fans they will be able to beat the Azkals and advance to the finals. While the Philippines may be playing on "hostile" ground in the second leg, we only need a scoring draw to advance due to the away goals rule, which Singapore failed to secure in the first leg. As things stand, the Philippines is still very much in it.

In this type of fixture, the 2nd leg at home is usually favored by a team which is why those who topped the group stage get to play the second leg at home. However, it could get difficult and a team could find itself under greater pressure if things don't go as planned. All it will take is an early goal for the Philippines and Singapore will suddenly find itself under pressure to score 2 goals to stay in the competition. As 3 times winners, Singapore has the added factor of dealing with the expectations of their supporters. Also, even if Singapore gets to score first, they cannot take it easy. An equalizer from our team and they are headed for the exit once more.

Singapore will need to go out for the win. This will enable the Philippines to be patient, to stay compact in defense and try to take advantage on the counter. Singapore will be obliged to push up and attack, and what I am starting to envision in my mind is that second goal in the Myanmar match by Angel Guirado. Score first and preferably score early and things should look good for the Philippines. Of course, in order to do this they need to play with more energy and precision than they did on Saturday night. Then again, I'm sure they know that by now.

Singapore will be relying on their experience (coach, players) in this competition, their quality, better cohesion and the support of the home crowd. It is a daunting challenge for the Azkals to face. Then again, the Azkals merely need a scoring draw to advance to the finals. They could use this to their advantage. Furthermore, the Azkals are a mere 90 minutes away from achieving another milestone not only in their respective careers, but for Philippine football as well. As Dan Palami so eloquently put it, "the Philippines intend to write its own history." The opportunity for both the veterans and young guns in our team to write themselves into the history books once more and build a legacy will be a strong source of motivation that should help them overcome the challenges they will face this coming Wednesday. 

This Suzuki Cup campaign has shown that the Philippines is a second half team. It takes a while for the Azkals to get going, to get their bearings and start stamping their mark in the match. In the friendly against Singapore in Cebu and in the 3 group stage matches, the Azkals scored all their goals in the second half. The quality of their play improves as the match progresses in the second half. A 2- legged fixture is basically a match of 2 halves and the second 90 minutes kicks off on Wednesday. So come on Philippines, let's go Azkals, you are 90 minutes away from achieving further glory - WE BELIEVE!

10 December 2012, Moira G Gallaga©

Azkals are back in the Suzuki Cup 2012 Semifinals

It is said that "lightning never strikes twice," and I agree. In 2010, the Philippine Men's National Football Team, a.k.a. the Azkals, shocked Southeast Asian football by reaching the semifinals of that year's AFF Suzuki Cup. In that impressive campaign, the Azkals drew with powerhouse Singapore and defeated defending champion Vietnam 2-0 to forge a semifinal showdown with Indonesia. Considering the status then of the Philippines as the perennial whipping boy in Southeast Asian football, that achievement was a like a bolt of lightning. It also served as that all-important spark that has brought about a football renaissance in the Philippines.

In this 2012 edition of the AFF Suzuki Cup the Azkals have once again successfully hurdled the group stage and booked themselves a place in the semifinals. However, unlike in 2010, this wasn't any longer like a bolt of lightning. It wasn't a shocking development anymore. In fact, the team had set their sights on the semis as a reasonable target for their Suzuki Cup campaign. Not only the team, but their opponents as well felt that the Azkals had what it takes to make the semifinals. That's because in between the last and current Suzuki Cup a lot has changed in Philippine football for the better.

Following an aggressive effort to step up the quality and effectiveness of the Philippine National Football Team and football in the Philippines in general, the Azkals have achieved several notable milestones. It's quite a list of achievements, and as a result, the Azkals have garnered considerable respect and esteem from their opponents. We now have a deeper bench and our team is slowly starting to play at a higher technical level as opposed to just simply defending with their lives and hoping for an opportunity on the counter. So for the Philippines to reach the semifinals of the Suzuki Cup twice in a row is no longer surprising, it was well deserved.

Photo via interaksyon.com

Finding themselves in a "group of death," the Azkals' campaign started off with a 2-1 loss to Thailand. In a highly physical match, the Thais did all they could legally and illegally to grab 3 points against our team. They weren't taking any chances with the Azkals. Despite the shenanigans, the Thais deserved their win. They were the better team that night and they showed to one and all that they were favorites to reach the final by winning all their group stages to top the group. The battered Azkals could take heart from the fact that they kept the match close with the toughest opponent in the group and that the chance to progress was still there.

In this group stage, the second match is the most crucial. The result of your second match will have a major bearing on your team's ability to proceed to the next round. For the Philippines, a loss in their second match means the end of our Suzuki Cup campaign. We needed to beat Vietnam. Since they drew with Myanmar in their opening match, Vietnam needed a win as well to ensure their path to the semifinals. Both teams could not afford to lose and it clearly showed in the first half. Tentative and cautious, both sides several mistakes in possession. You would think the two teams were trying to outdo each other in number of bad passes made. In the second half, Vietnam started to settle into a rhythm and began asserting control. Philippines respond by making a few substitutions. With time slowly running out, the first team to score a goal was going to win that match. That goal comes in the 85th minute for the Philippines and it couldn't have been scripted any better. Following a poor performance in the match against Thailand, Azkal veteran Chieffy Caligdong comes in as a late substitute and scores the winning goal off a lovely pass from another substitute, Angel Guirado. Two minutes later, Vietnam almost equalizes but was denied by goalkeeper Ed Sacapano whose timely block sends the ball crashing to the crossbar and away from goal. Three points for the Philippines.

With their fate firmly in their hands, the Azkals just needed to deal with Myanmar for their last fixture in this group stages. While Myanmar may have been considered the weakest among the Azkals' opponents in this group, they were a dangerous team quite capable of causing an upset. Furthermore, the Philippines had yet to beat Myanmar based on their recent competitive encounters, the last ending in a draw. As the match progressed, the Philippines showed a lot of heart and a clear intent to win this one. Phil Younghusband in particular was on a mission to make amends for tepid performances in the first 2 matches and has several attempts at goal in the first half. The defense held firm and any Myanmar offensive forays were dealt with effectively. A little over a minute into the second half Phil Younghusband scores a wonderful goal to put the Philippines ahead and place one foot into the semifinals. Myanmar started to push forward and attack more aggressively as their hopes to reach the semis were fading away by the minute. This left space behind Myanmar's defensive line and on the 93rd minute, Angel Guirado takes advantage. Running onto a clearance from Carli De Murga, Angel gets to the ball, controls it, keeps a defender at bay and coolly finishes sealing the victory.

In addition to making it to the semifinals, the group stage campaign showed that we have a solid defense. While a lot of improvement had been achieved by our team in terms of quality of play, our opponents are still a few notches above us so our defense plays a very crucial role with regard to our chances of going further in this tournament. It is also heartening to note that Ed Sacapano has been dependable in goal for the Azkals. There was quite a bit of apprehension when news started filtering in before the tournament that our Europe based keepers could not make it. Ed Sacapano showed everyone there was nothing to worry about. Chieffy Caligdong showed once again during the Vietnam match why he still continues to be part of the team. His time on the pitch may now be slowly diminishing but his value to the team remains high. Following a slow start, Phil Younghusband appears to be peaking at the right time. Not his usual effective self in the matches against Thailand and Vietnam, he's found his confidence and form once again in the Myanmar match and this is good for the Azkals. A deep bench, a combination of seasoned veterans with valuable experience and young guns with hunger and desire, the Azkals has deservedly earned a spot in the semifinals where they will face Singapore. 

The team has set the semifinals as their goal, they have achieved that now. For sure, they are now busy working hard to go beyond that goal and the prospects look good. There is no room for complacency though. While we may have beaten Singapore twice just recently, friendly and competitive fixtures are two different matters altogether. Also, this is a two-legged affair so the approach and mentality is a lot different than a single winner take all match. Just the same, I would fancy our chances. We've gone this far, why not go even further? Let's go Azkals! WE BELIEVE!!!

02 December 2012, Moira G Gallaga©