Azkals rally to retain Peace Cup boot crown

BACOLOD CITY—Inspired by the brilliance of German Bundesliga veteran Stephan Schrock, the Philippines claimed the Philippine Peace Cup with a come-from-behind 3-1 triumph over Pakistan amid a festive atmosphere at Panaad Stadium here.

The fleet-footed Schrock, who plays club football for Eintracht Frankfurt, set up the equalizer of Patrick Reichelt in the 33rd minute before capping his heroics with a well-taken goal two minutes from time that sent the crowd into delirium.

Known for delivering important goals for the country, midfielder Chris Greatwich scored the go-ahead goal for 2-1 in the 78th minute.

The Azkals dropped a 1-2 decision to Chinese-Taipei on opening-day last Friday and needed at least a 2-1 victory to keep the Peace Cup.

They did that and more with a strong performance that provided a glimpse of their potential when they vie for an Asian Cup berth in the AFC Challenge Cup in the Maldives in May.

“The team showed what they can achieve if they play cohesively,” said Azkals manager Dan Palami, who, along with Philippine Football Federation president Mariano Araneta, received the trophy from Bacolod City mayor Monico Puentevella. “We know there’s a long way to go for us but we’re happy with the win as it boosts our confidence.”

Etheridge was solid in between the posts, while Rob Gier and Juani Guirado were hardly troubled in the second half. Jerry Lucena put in a fine shift as defensive midfielder, while Misagh Bahadoran, getting a rare start, provided flashes of brilliance on the left flank.

Just like in past matches that mattered, the Azkals proved resilient even after going behind after 15 minutes when Hassan Bashir cut inside Jerry Barbaso and slotted the ball past a helpless Neil Etheridge.

Schrock’s quality, however, was there for everyone to see. He spearheaded the comeback, flicking the ball past a defender before going on a bristling run down the line. With time and space, Schrock found Reichelt at the middle for a first-time finish to a quick counter-attack.

source: Mark Giongco, INQUIRER.NET

Azkals Go For Cup Clincher

The Philippine Azkals will try to overcome their last enemy in order for them to qualify for the 2014 AFC Challenge Cup. Azkals team will face Turkmenistan today in the final day of the Group E qualifiers at the Rizal Memorial Stadium at 7 P.M.

Azkals are in good mood after they win against Cambodia last Sunday in 8-0 score. A lot of Pinoy Football fans surely went after watching the Azkals match.

The Azkals team sees this opportunity as their redemption from last time failure to play in AFC Challenge Cup.

The Philippines and Turkmenistan are both tied for the spot in the group with six points apiece with the winner getting an automatic slot next year in Maldives.

The loser, however, appears to be on its way to the tiny island as well. Either team may end up with one of the two best second place records from all the five groups provided they won’t suffer a lopsided defeat.

Azkals team lost to the Turkmen, 2-1. in the 2012 Challenge Cup semifinals in Kathmandu, Nepal.
Turkmenistan won after scoring two goals in the final 10 minutes.

But last Sunday game was different, Azkals drew big performances from veteran striker Phil Younghusband and the debuting Javier Patino.

Younghusband scored four goals while Patino made an impression in front of the home fans by hitting the back of the net twice.

Also impressive was Stephan Schrock, whose trickery and ball control at the left side set up numerous scoring chances.

Coach Michael Weiss started Fil-German Roland Muller as goalkeeper in lieu of regular first-choice man Neil Etheridge and the MSV Duisburg booter earned a clean sheet.

Neil, Schrocky may lead Azkals vs Singapore in friendly

MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED/CORRECTED) – Key Azkals players Neil Etheridge and Stephan Schrock will be free for their team’s friendly game against Singapore in October.

Philippine Football Federation (PFF) president Nonong Araneta confirmed that the likes of Etheridge, Schrock, Paul Mulders, Jerry Lucena and Dennis Cagara may play versus Singapore because their October 7 playdate falls under FIFA calendar.

“Yes, the date falls under FIFA calendar,” he said in a text message sent to abs-cbnNEWS.com.

The Singapore Lions agreed to play against the Azkals, giving the Nationals the opportunity to hone their skills.

The game will also give the Azkals a chance to improve its FIFA World ranking.

Singapore is currently 129th in the world, while the Philippines is ranked 162nd.

source: abs-cbnnews.com

2 Azkals may miss match

The Azkals faces another player problem because two of their players, Neil Etheridge and Marcus Stephan Schrock cant play next match. We have seen this kind of scenario when two of their players wasnt able to play in their 1st leg of Azkals vs Kuwait game. Hopefully they will find the right replacement for these players as soon as possible so that they will be able to play with the team or else they will surely have a hard time winning any match for their next play. We still dont know how much this will affect the Azkals team but they are surely still positive to win their next football matches.

MANILA, Philippines — Goalkeeper Neil Etheridge and attacking midfielder Marcus Stephan Schrock are unlikely to join the Philippine football team when it sees action in the Long Teng Cup slated in Kaohsiung, Taiwan late next month.

The four-nation tourney is the first of many lined up for the Azkals following their elimination in the second round of the World Cup qualifiers last July.

The presence of the two players, who shone against the Kuwaitis during the qualifiers, will surely strengthen the Azkals’ chances, but team manager Dan Palami said he may just tap their services for a more important competition in the future.

The 6-foot-2 Fil-British Etheridge, 21, is set to be promoted as regular reliever on the first team of Fulham, which competes in the Premiere League, while the 5-foot-5 Fil-German Schrock is busy with his ballclub Greuther Furth playing in the German second division.

“It’s unlikely that he (Etheridge) will play. For Schorck, may be not also,” Palami said in a recent interview.

“We want to preserve our relationship with their teams, so we bring in the players only when it’s absolutely necessary,” continued Palami, who left for Europe Wednesday to scout possible reinforcements for the Azkals.

Palami, though, said the Under-23 pool preparing for the Southeast Asian Games in November will join the Azkals in the event, where they are bidding to improve on their second place finish behind Hong Kong last year.

The Sept. 28-Oct. 6 competition will have competing teams from Taiwan, Macau and Hong Kong and Philippines although Philippine Football Federation chief Mariano ‘Nonong’ Araneta Jr said the organizers plan to expand the cast to six.

Last year, the Philippines finished with a 1-1-1 record in the competition, thumping Macau, (5-0) drawing with Taiwan (1-1) and bowing to Hong Kong (4-2).

2 Azkals Suspended in Azkals vs Kuwait Match

Two members of the Philippine Azkals Team are suspended because of the yellow cards that they got in the Azkals vs Sri Lanka match. The AFC suspended Aly Borromeo and Stephan Schrock of the Philippine Azkals in the first game of Azkals vs Kuwait match.

The bad news was revealed in the middle of celebration mood after the 4-0 win over Sri Lanka. According to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), the yellow cards that Borromeo and Schrock received in the games against Sri Lanka is the reason why they will not be able to play in their next game.

“The yellow cards received by your players from round 1 & 2 shall be carried forward,” Guarav Thapa, Competitions Officer of the Asian Football Confederation, said in an official email.

The Philippines vs Kuwait World Cup qualifier will be played on July 23 and 27.