Honors Even Between the Azkals and Tigers

It was a well earned nil-nil draw that the Philippine Azkals got out of their friendly match against the Malaysian Tigers. It was a considerably commendable feat, especially when we take into account the fact that in four previous matches the Philippines played on Malaysian turf it all ended in defeat for our side. The Philippines is definitely no longer the whipping boys of Southeast Asia and the Azkals continue to show marked progress and promise.

The obligation to win this match loomed larger for the hosts. In the last friendly held here in Manila, they brought in a squad that left out some of their top players and they were lucky to equalize and draw the match in the dying minutes after trailing the Philippines Azkals 1-nil for some time. They also complained about the condition of the pitch. Well then, the stage was set for this return edition for the Malaysians to set the record straight.

They were playing on home ground where they hold a formidable record, and had their full complement of starters from their AFF championship squad available. Might I also add that the match officials were also Malaysian. That wouldn’t have been a problem if there weren’t some calls that were…I’d rather not say, though I credit Neil Etheridge and Darren Hartmann for their attempt to be as diplomatic as possible during their TV commentary when they made comment on some of the calls of the referee. The subtlety of the sarcasm was typically English. It might be worthwhile to note too that Dan Palami had a very subtle tweet about the match officials and Coach Weiss was quoted in an article making a comment on the use of officials from the hosting nation for international friendlies.

Photo via interaksyon.com

Anyway, problems with referees and officiating are always part and parcel of football, what matters in the end is sticking that ball into the goal more times than your opponent does. Last night you would think that players from both sides were doing their darned best to miss the goal, the Malaysians especially who had several pretty good chances. But as Chelsea has shown to everyone in the footballing world in their semifinals against Barcelona in the recently concluded UEFA Champions League, you don’t need that many chances at goal if you put away the few chances that you get and your opponent fails to do so.

So while the Malaysian coach and many others may feel that they deserved to win that match given the chances they created, I still say the honors were even that evening because they failed to convert those opportunities. We may have had much fewer chances at goal but if only one of those went in, the resulting victory would have been well deserved. Go ask Chelsea FC, the current UEFA Champions League champions, I’m sure they’ll agree with my point. But as it turns out, no goals were made that evening and as I said, the honors were even.

We had a pretty good squad for that match but were missing several key players – the Younghusbands, Neil Etheridge, Ray Jonsson, Jerry Lucena and Dennis Cagara. One could go on with the “what ifs” had these other players been available, but there is no point to keep dwelling on that matter. This is a challenge our national team faces every time they are going to play, and it is something we just have to learn how to deal with and overcome. Based on last night’s result, it appears that the Azkals coped with that challenge fairly well.

The Malaysians had a nervous start but settled down as the match progressed. Cohesion and teamwork issues continue to hound the Azkals and it manifested itself in this match. No question about individual skill and talent, we got loads of it on the pitch. It’s the matter of putting it together into a system that needs further work. As long as the PFF keeps maximizing the opportunities to arrange matches for the Azkals this objective will eventually be achieved.

Our goalkeeper Roland Muller was definitely man of the match for the Philippines. Stephan Schroeck is on another level entirely, an exciting player to watch. Though still needs to gel and get in sync some more with the rest (or the others need to start getting in sync with him) of the team. One other Azkal that impressed me a lot in this match was Marwin (or was it Marvin) Angeles. His entry into the match brought a positive impact into the game of the Azkals. He even had a crack at goal, narrowly missing it. This is one for the future given his age, shows lots of promise.

Well, that’s one down and there will be plenty of lessons to be learned from this draw against Malaysia and some adjustments to be made for the upcoming matches. There are two more matches up ahead, against Indonesia at Rizal Memorial Football Stadium in Manila on 05 June and against Guam at Panaad stadium in Bacolod City on 12 June. There’s also news of a training camp in August in Chicago, U.S.A.

These are all good developments. The Philippine national football team needs to play as much as it can. I am glad that the PFF and the management of the national team are taking advantage of every opportunity to play as frequently as possible, whether it be friendly matches, training matches or competitions. This draw against Malaysia on their home ground is a validation of that effort. So keep it up Azkals, keep making us proud. We Believe!

2012 June, Moira G Gallaga©

   

Philippines vs Malaysia - SO CLOSE...

Another football match for our men’s National Football Team, the Azkals, and they faced a worthy and accomplished opponent for this fixture. It may have been only a friendly match under the FIFA calendar, but the PFF had chosen no less than Malaysia, the defending champions of the AFF Suzuki Cup, to test the mettle of our Azkals. Considering that the Azkals will be off in a tournament in about a week, this was a pretty good challenge for the national team to prepare them for the AFC Challenge Cup in Nepal.

Higher than the Philippines in the FIFA rankings, and widely acknowledged to be the much better team, the Azkals were the underdogs in this match. The last time the Philippines beat Malaysia was 21 years ago at the 1991 SEA games. The succeeding occasions in which we got to face Malaysia on the football pitch have always been in Malaysia’s favor.

That’s not surprising of course. While the growth of football in the Philippines has gained momentum only recently, Malaysia had undertaken a long-term and effective grassroots development program to be where they are now. Based on interviews with the Malaysian coach, the core of their current squad were formed 10 years ago, back in the youth levels and were carefully nurtured and supported as they went up the ranks. Aside from being the 2010 Suzuki Cup champions, Malaysia is also the back-to-back champions or gold medalists in ASEAN U23 football for 2009 and 2011. Evidently, they are force to be reckoned with in the region and definitely posed a tough and skilled opponent for the Azkals.

Aside from serving as a warm-up match for the AFC Challenge Cup, the Azkals coaching staff and players described this friendly match as a gauge by which the progress of the Azkals can be measured following the renaissance of Philippine football sparked by that amazing run to the semis of the 2010 Suzuki Cup in December 2010. With Malaysia’s footballing pedigree, the match was indeed a very effective gauge by which we could assess where we stand in terms of football in Southeast Asia.

Well, the match did prove that the Azkals had been making steady progress and improvement since December 2010. Boy, were we so close to causing an upset and replicating that remarkable feat in 1991. The match ended in a draw, but despite the horrible condition of the pitch and Neil Etheridge’s choice of shorts (my husband and I thought he was planning to play golf instead of football, still swoon-worthy :), the Azkals put in a sterling performance.

We took the lead in the 34^th minute through a diving header from Denis Wolf and held on to it until the Malaysians equalized in the first minute of added time. So close…

While we didn’t come away with a win that would have been well deserved had we done so, we could take heart that the team played really well and caused a lot of trouble for the Malaysians. This wasn’t the gallant stand of circa 2010 where we would absorb the pressure and take advantage of quick counters via route one. This time around, the Azkals played at a less frenetic pace and tempo, and did so with more composure and purpose. I could tell because my husband was a bit calmer watching the match – hardly any swearing or abuse being hurled at the referee.

This was an enjoyable match to watch. To me, teams were evenly matched, it was quite an open game in various periods and control of the match would shift back and forth. It was nice to relish the ebb and flows of the match. Of course, the fact that we were doing very well against the Malaysians further adds to the satisfaction. Being objective about it, the draw was a fair outcome. The Azkals showed that their neighbors in the region should start viewing them more seriously and the Malaysians worked for their equalizer.

Photo courtesy of www.sktdigital.com.ph

Most of all, I enjoyed those little moments that make football such a beautiful game. I agree with my husband that aside from the strategies, skills, techniques, and the tactics, football is also a game of inches and moments of team or individual brilliance that can make a significant impact in a match. A matter of inches to the left, to the right, higher or lower, and that’s the difference that could spell the outcome of a match. A brief moment of instant and almost telepathic connection between players in a team that result in a mesmerizing move and interplay with the ball can likewise determine the outcome of a match, not to mention leaving you standing there with your jaw almost hitting the ground in awe. Then of course let’s not forget the moments of individual brilliance and genius of the players. This is what football is about, and the match had its share of those little moments.

Angel Guirado hitting the post was one of those moments. A few inches to the left and that would have gone in and we’d have been 2 goals up. Not to mention that the shot was made possible by a pretty nifty bit of skill by Angel to get him just that little amount of space to make that shot. Inches and a moment of brilliance, and we were so close to causing an upset. Of course, it also was a moment of brilliance for the Malaysians that got them back in the match and salvaged some pride for their side. A skillful change of direction that took out Jason Sabio and gave the Malaysian player just that little bit of space to place a shot just beyond the reach of Neil Etheridge. A moment of brilliance and a few extra precious inches of space, they were so close to losing and we were so close to winning. Kind of felt sorry for Jason Sabio there as he was playing very well in that match, solid in defense for most of the match. But as they say, “es futbol,” and that’s why I really love this game.

So, honors even between the Philippines and Malaysia on the 29^th of February 2012, not bad Azkals, not bad at all. We were so close to causing an upset. While there is a common phrase that goes “so close, yet so far,” in this case, viewing it from a footballing perspective and where the Azkals stand in terms of Southeast Asian football, it’s more like “so close, and no longer so far away.” Congratulations Azkals and once again you give us all reason to continue believing.

           

2012 Moira G Gallaga©