PH Azkals Beat Vietnamese Again

Another win for the PH Azkals once again. Let's rejoice and thank them for giving us another reason to be proud that we are Pinoys.

BANGKOK — The Philippine football team relived the magic of 2010 as it downed the very same team that launched the Azkal-mania to keep its semis bid alive.

Chieffy Caligdong stood tall for the Azkals again as he fired a curling shot in the 85th minute to power the Philippines to a 1-0 win over the former SEA Games champion in an all-important AFF Suzuki Cup at the Rajamangala Stadium here.

InterAKTV file photo/Roy Afable

A disappointment in Saturday’s 2-1 loss to host Thailand, Caligdong came in as a substitute for James Younghusband with about 15 minutes left before stoppage time in the hope of injecting some late game magic.

And the diminutive Air Force veteran didn’t disappoint.

Caligdong received a cross to the left wing off a galloping Angel Guirado from the center before hitting what appeared to be  an effortless shot thayt blew past a diving Vietnamese goalkeeper Duong Hong Son into right side of the net.

The winning goal of the 30-year old Caligdong enabled the Azkals to repeat over Vietnam, almost two years after the stunning 2-0 victory in front of 40,000 spectators in Hanoi.

Their first match since that epic night was witnessed by a sparse crowd inside the 80,000-seat stadium but the outcome ended in similar fashion, frustrating a Vietnam team that entered the match hoping to avenge that painful setback.

More importantly, the win enabled the Azkals to revive their hopes of securing one of the two semifinal berths after gaining the much-important three points.

The Filipino booters, whose coach Michael Weiss sat on the sidelines to serve a one-game suspension for his sending off against Thailand, need to win on Friday against Myanmar at the SCG Stadium in Nonthanaburi, which is about a 37-minute drive from the Thai capital.

Azkals Patrick Reichelt Loses 3 Teeth In Practice

BANGKOK — The Philippine Azkals are so eager to redeem themselves following an opening day defeat to the host squad that their practice session last Monday ended with Patrick Reichelt losing three teeth.

One of the players who played well in their 2-1 defeat to the Thais, Reichelt collided with bull-strong Angel Guirado in one play.

Misagh Bahadoran, one of the team’s reserves and a dentistry graduate at Centro Escolar University, said Reichelt is now in stable condition after being treated in a nearby hospital.

Despite the incident, Reichelt was expected to start for the Azkals against Vietnam, which was being played at presstime at the Rajamangala Stadium.

There were initial concerns that Reichelt may miss the match after playing well as a substitute. He entered the match in the midway point of the second half and set up the Paul Mulders goal in the 77th minute on a cross from the right wing.

His trickery and speed have been on display since the friendly match against Cambodia in September.

In the Philippine Football Peace Cup match against Guam, Reichelt scored in the 80th minute on a leaping header for a 1-0 win.

Reichelt is the latest of the team’s "walking wounded".

Phil Younghusband sustained two cuts in the first half while Juani Guirado is still hurting after being elbowed by Teerasil Dangda in the second half.

Guirado suffered a busted lip.

Source: MB.com.ph

Azkals 22-man Suzuki Cup roster

After their epic win against the Singapore football team, the Philippine National football team Azkals released their 22-man roster for the 2012 Suzuki Cup. They already posted their list of players on Azkals official website. The following names are included in the list of goalkeepers, attackers, defenders, and midfielders who will join Azkals journey to 2012 Suzuki Cup.

Goalkeepers
•    Roland Muller
•    Ed Sacapano
•    Ref Cuaresma

Defenders
•    Ray Jonsson
•    Rob Gier
•    Juani Guirado
•    Dennis Cagara
•    Carli De Murga
•    Jason Sabio
•    Jeffrey Christiaens

Midfielders
•    James Younghusband
•    Jerry Lucena
•    Paul Mulders
•    Chieffy Caligdong
•    Demit Omphroy
•    Jason De Jong
•    Angel Guirado
•    Patrick Reichelt
•    Marwin Angeles
•    Chris Greatwich

Attackers
•    Denis Wolf
•    Phil Younghusband

PH Azkals Clashes with Singapore Lions

Azkals test worth versus Singapore Lions Thursday night

The Philippines gauges its readiness for the AFF Suzuki Cup today when it clashes with Singapore in the first international friendly to be played at the spruced-up Cebu City Sports Center.

The test match slated at 7 p.m. against the three-time Southeast Asian champion Lions comes just nine days before the Azkals open their campaign in the Suzuki Cup in Bangkok, Thailand.

The Singaporeans are also in the final phase of their preparations for the biennial tournament, although they will be playing in Group B against host Malaysia, Indonesia and Laos.

Aside from sharpening their play in preparation for matches against Thailand, Vietnam and Myanmar in Bangkok late this month, the Azkals are also aching to prove that their morale-boosting 2-0 away victory over the Lions two months ago was no fluke. It was the first victory by the Philippines against Singapore in 40 years.

Singapore, however, will come in with a more formidable side than the one that played at the Jurong West Stadium last time with 42-year-old Aleksandar Duric returning to lead the line.

The Serbia-born naturalized player, who missed the previous meeting with the Philippines due to injury, has been a scourge for the Azkals, scoring twice in two meetings with the Filipinos.

Azkals coach Michael Weiss remains confident that his players can get the job done, despite the absence of several Europe-based standouts, including Stephan Schrock who was the Man of the Match in the upset of the Lions last September.

“Singapore will be coming in with a full squad, but we are strong now and we are in a position not to look at the top players of the opponent but rather look at our own strengths and go for the occasion,” said Weiss, who will also use the match in determining his 22-man lineup for the Suzuki Cup.

Among the Europe-based players, Cebu-born Ray Jonsson and Rob Gier are the only players available for selection with Ed Sacapano also starting in lieu of Neil Etheridge and Roland Muller, who have club commitments.

The Azkals go into the game on the back of a 1-2 loss to Kuwait side in an encouraging performance that came after they held powerhouse Bahrain to a scoreless draw last month.

Whatever the outcome, Weiss said the Azkals had prepared well for the Suzuki Cup.

“The preparations have been fantastic. I couldn’t have been more satisfied,” he said.

Source: sports.inquirer.net

Azkals eye higher ranking in AFF, SEA

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Azkals seek to establish themselves as the “top dog” among ASEAN teams in terms of Fifa world rankings, something they hope to achieve with a strong showing in the AFF Suzuki Cup.

“We hope to be No. 1 in Southeast Asia before the end of the year,” said Azkals team manager Dan Palami.

In the October world rankings released by the Fifa, Phl is at 147th overall, its best standing ever, and third among ASEAN nations behind Thailand (139th) and Vietnam (140th).

The Azkals are poised to rise further when the Fifa publishes its new rankings on Wednesday, largely due to their scoreless draw against fancied Bahrain in a friendly last Oct. 12.

According to projections by the Football Rankings website, Phl is likely to move up to 143rd with projected ranking points of 184. This will propel the Azkals to No. 2 in the region, next only to Vietnam (projected at 139th). Thailand is projected to slip to 152nd.

Palami had marvelled at how over the last two years the Azkals have kept themselves busy and scaled new heights in the Fifa world rankings, where the country once stood at low 195th (September 2006).

“We’re at a catching-up phase with our neighbors in Southeast Asia. If you look at the calendar of the Azkals, we’re one of the busiest teams but this has allowed us to develop the team further,” he said.

“In 2010, we were 33rd in Asia; now we’re 22nd and poised to be 21st. We were No. 9 or 10 in Southeast Asia, now we’re No. 3 and hopefully in the next release of the Fifa world rankings, we’ll be No. 2. Again, it will be our highest ranking,” he added.

The Azkals aim to at least make the semifinals of the AFF Suzuki Cup set Nov. 24-30 in Bangkok, where they are bracketed with Thailand, Vietnam and Myanmar.

“Hopefully with the Suzuki Cup result we hope to achieve, we’ll open doors to stronger tournaments for the Azkals and result to better ranking for us,” he said.