It was another shining moment for the Philippine Azkals as they blitzed Nepal 4-0 in a FIFA-sanctioned friendly match at the historic Rizal Memorial stadium. Team Nepal, which is ranked 135th in the world, is way above the Philippines which is on the 166th rung of the football ladder.It may have been called a "friendly" but the Pinoy Azkals clearly gnawed at these Himalayan Tigers. Phil Younghusband scored the first goal for the Philippines in the 17th minute, sending the Rizal crowd on their feet. The pass by Paul Mulders enabled the Fil-Brit to kick the ball into the goal and put the Philippines in a 1-nil lead.
Inspired by his brother Phil's goal, James was on winged feet as he launched a long-range strike that flew to the net, marking the second goal for the Pinoy Azkals on the 29th minute.
Half time saw the UAAP cheerdancing champion, University of the Philippines, pull-off a show-stopping performance, to the delight of the crowd. The energetic and perky UP Pep Squad kept the crowd and the players in high spirits.
On the 55th minute, Phil Younghusband once again scored a goal that sent the fans on their feet.
The Nepalese tried their best to stop the rampaging Azkals and their attempts at scoring a goal were stopped by the Azkals towering goalkeeper Neil Etheridge.
Hartmann scored the 4th and final goal for the Azkals, with an assist from Phil Younghusband.
With this brilliant performance against the higher-ranking Nepalese, the Philippine Azkals has made tremendous progress in a short period of time.
Fresh from their runner-up finish in the recently concluded Long Teng Cup held in Taiwan, the Philippine Azkals is looking forward to their steady progress in the football scene.
The Azkals' Chieffy Caligdong was presented with the golden boot award of the Long Teng Cup for being the tourney's highest scorer. The Barotac Nuevo native proudly showed his small trophy, marking the tiny Pinoy's spirited offense during the competition that helped the Philippines improve from second runner-up last year to first-runner-up this year.
Hong Kong finished with 7 points, Philippines with 5, Chinese Taipei with 4, and Macau with zero.
With this smashing performance by the Philippine National Football Team, fans are looking forward to seeing the Azkals in action once again.
One thing that the Azkals are counting on as they make their steady headway is the continued support of their Pinoy football fans!
source: www.abs-cbnnews.com
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