In a match that needed an extra time to decide, the Azkals scraped past the relentless challenge of host Maldives with a thrilling 3-2 victory to arrange a title duel with Palestine for the AFC Challenge Cup early yesterday at the jampacked National Stadium in Male.
Substitute Chris Greatwich supplied the much-needed goal in the 104th minute as the Azkals progressed to the final against the Palestinians at midnight tomorrow for the championship and a ticket to next year’s AFC Asian Cup in Sydney.
A win over the Palestine, which relatively had an easy 2-0 win over Afghanistan in the other semifinal affair, will complete the Azkals’ amazing journey that began when they stunned Vietnam, 2-0, in the AFF Suzuki Cup in Hanoi in December 2010.
“We want to play at the next level, that is not a secret. We came over here to win the Challenge Cup. We want to play at the next level which is the Asian Cup so we want to play against those big guys, not to win something, but to play with them and that is our biggest goal,” said coach Thomas Dooley.
Fittingly, Greatwich, who launched the Azkals into prominence against Vietnam with an opening goal, was the one who secured the winner, tapping in a failed scoring attempt by Patrick Reichelt from close range.
Greatwich’s goal triggered a raucous celebration by the Azkals, hundreds of supporters in the stands and perhaps millions more back home who stayed up late to watch the exciting match on television.
But the goal of the veteran Greatwich wouldn’t have been possible without several frantic sequences.
The Azkals never trailed in the grueling match, with Phil Younghusband delivering the opening goal in the 19th when he turned after a strong defense by a Maldividan to launch a strike past keeper Imran Mohamed.
Maldives responded to even the score at 1-1 in the 36th as Mohamed Umair beat two defenders before lofting an equalizing shot off Azkals goalie Roland Muller who was a few yards away from the net.
However, the tie proved to be short and sweet as the Azkals’ Jerry Lucena answered back by stabbing a 39th minute goal from close range to put the away side up 2-1.
Muller later produced a redux of his penalty kick save against Turkmenistan last Saturday by stopping Ibrahim Fazeel in the 53rd to keep the Azkals ahead.
The Filipinos, though, failed to preserve the lead in the 66th after Abdulla Asadhulla leveled the match at 2-2 after netting from a corner kick. From there, Maldives had strong chances to win through several counter attacks only to be denied by late clearances by the away side.
The closest came in the 91st minute when Maldives team captain Ali Ashfaq, who has scored 41 international goals, curled a shot that could have been a deserved winner if not for Muller who batted away the precise attempt.
“Both teams should have won today if this can exist in the rules. But unfortunately the rules are very clear that who scores more goals will be the winner,” said losing coach Drago Mamic.
By JONAS TERRADO
source: sports.tempo.com.ph
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