Ph Azkals all heart, play for AFC title on Friday

10 years ago | Posted in: Sports | 520 Views

MALE, Maldives—In one final act of defiance, the youngest Filipino player on the pitch, defender Amani Aguinaldo, kissed the Philippine flag on his sleeve in front of a fuming Maldives skipper Ali Ashfaq, before breaking down in tears.

In an exhausting 120 minutes that reminded everyone how football can be beautiful and brutal at the same time, the Philippines ousted hosts Maldives, 3-2, on a goal by Chris Greatwich in extra time on Tuesday, sending the Azkals to the finals of the AFC Challenge Cup.

The Philippines will face Palestine, which upset Afghanistan, 2-0, in the other semifinal.

The National Stadium here was littered with tired and battle-weary bodies and in the end, it was the Filipinos who were shedding tears of joy.

“When you go through a roller coaster of emotions during the match, it’s really down to heart and this team showed that it had the heart and the fighting spirit,” said Azkals manager Dan Palami.

No ordinary run

Playing in his first major international tournament, the 19-year-old Aguinaldo was tasked to defend the dangerous Ashfaq all night and when the final whistle blew, his emotions boiled over.

This wasn’t just an ordinary victory for a Philippine side that had set lofty goals at the start of the AFC Challenge Cup. There’s a bigger goal ahead and they just moved closer to it.

The Azkals are now within one win of their cherished dream of reaching the AFC Asian Cup in Australia next year.

Incredible spirit

Greatwich, one of the two goalscorers, of the miraculous 2-0 win over Vietnam four years ago in Hanoi that sparked the sport’s renaissance in the country, scored the match winner in the 104th minute after both teams battled to a 2-2 stalemate in regulation play.

“It’s just a surreal night,” Azkals captain Rob Gier said after the team celebrated in front of 300 Filipino fans in the stadium.

“I’ve never played for a team that plays with so much heart. I just don’t know how this team does it. We’ve managed to find extra reserves somewhere and dig really deep. The spirit of this team is incredible,” Gier said.

The match had all the trappings of a classic. The Azkals dominated possession for most of the match, but a Maldives side feeding off the energy of a packed stadium fought back twice to force the extension.

Goals from Phil Younghusband and Jerry Lucena kept the Azkals on top for the most part, but the Azkals also needed the heroics of goalkeeper Roland Müller who stopped a penalty in the second half that could have been the difference between the two sides.

Standing in the way of the Azkals’ dream of lifting a first major trophy and a spot in the Asian Cup is Palestine, which refuses to be satisfied after bringing down favorite Afghanistan.

“It is not enough just to be in the final; we need to win it too,” said Palestine coach Jamal Mahmoud. “Otherwise, all this effort will be of no use.”

Palestine advanced on the strength of goals from Ashraf Al Fawaghra on either side of half time.

The final will be played on Friday at 9 p.m. here (12 midnight, Saturday in Manila).

The Asian Cup is the continent’s showpiece football event where the likes of powerhouse Japan, South Korea and Iran are seeing action and the Azkals are looking to prove they belong in the elite group. The country has never qualified for the tournament… see more

source: inquirer

 

 

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