Azkals dodge a bullet in Malaysia but debutantes impress
Postgame thoughts on the Philippines' 0-0 draw at Malaysia on Saturday.
How on earth did we not lose this game? Malaysia should feel terrible about not putting this one away in front of a full house at home. Amirizwan Taj had a terrific header goal waved off because of a silly shove on Rob Gier. Aidil Zafuan's superbly taken lean-back header hit the woodwork, as did Safee Sali's rocket of a diving header. Then Amri Yahyah's neat angled poke clangs off the inside of the post and rolled tantalizingly across the goal before exiting the goal line.
I don't like it when coaches and players say “we were unlucky” when they hit the goal frame. It's not an honest statement. When you are denied by the woodwork, you are not unlucky, you're really not quite good enough. It means you have just barely missed the target.
Then in the second half Subramaniam Kunanlan stretched out unmarked to try and nudge in a cross from Amri in front of goal but he was inches short.
Malaysia were the better side on Saturday but they just weren't quite good enough. If this was a Basketball game the Harimau Malaya win by 12. But it's not. It's Football, so the spoils are shared.
The referee didn't help them either. Phil Younghusband very obviously used his arm to block Safiq Rahim's free kick early in the second half. How that wasn't a penalty is beyond me. The Philippines got a huge break there.
Ong Kim Swee's side started and ended strong, but couldn't finish. The result is a draw that cannot possibly satisfy them.
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The debutante who shone the most was Patrick Deyto. Deyto went from surprise omission to starting keeper. He was originally left off the list (Thomas Dooley personally called him to break the news) then was hurriedly included when Ed Sacapaño was unable to be released by the Philippine Army.
The Green Archer #1 had a flawless night, showing his believers that he truly is an international-caliber keeper. Had he been able to show this form in last year's SEA Games then the Philippines just might have sneaked into the medal round.
Deyto made a great stop on Bobby Gonzales in the second half and an even better one on Baddrol Bakhtiar late.
There were other virtues of his game that also came out. Under pressure he displayed a very decent left-footed clearance (he is right-footed) and when Gier went off, Darren Hartmann noticed that the goalie took over the organizational duties with the defense.
Pat's inspiring clean sheet on debut is a triumph for many. It inspires every kid on a UAAP roster, every homegrown player in the UFL, and every Football-addled youngster in a youth program that yes, you can be a world-class player even if you're developed here.
Thomas Dooley didn't get a win, but more importantly, he blooded five new players. Deyto, Balot Doctora, Kenshiro Daniels, Martin Steuble, and Simone Rota picked up their first caps on Saturday. That in itself is more valuable than the result in the long run.
Dooley showed a willingness to trust in the youth, something his predecessor, Michael Weiss, was reluctant to do.
I'm thrilled that Doctora finally gets a long-overdue first cap. He worked hard, got into space, and nearly offloaded a nice square pass to Mark Hartmann in the first half inside the Malaysian box, but an irritatingly excellent Malaysian defense was on him every step of the way.
Rota got himself involved and showed speed and energy. He sometimes plays centerback for Stallion and I wonder if coach Dooley is thinking of testing him there.
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Twitter is ablaze with positive comments about the coach. Cedelf Tupas sat beside an injured James Younghusband and said the winger remarked that this is the best the team has played in a long time.
Mikee Carrion, the former Kaya coach, was very glad to see that passes on the ground are being favored by Dooley, instead of high balls that are more difficult to control.
Might we have the long-term coach of the future? Still to early to tell but it's a very encouraging start.
The defense had a rough night. All of those aforementioned Malaysian chances were the result of defensive and marking lapses. There were too many. Was it unfamiliarity with each other or the new system? Was it Rob Gier and Juani Guirado's aging legs? Was it the sheer pace of the Malaysian attack?
For certain it is Dooley's number one concern right now. Should he pair one of the senior centerbacks with a speedy young buck? And who might that chap be? Rota? Boiboi Fernandez? Amani Aguinaldo? It's a quandary. The coach needs to address it sooner or later. Challenge Cup strikers aren't going to be any slower than the Malaysian strike force.
The flare-throwers seriously need to get a life. The game was interrupted for a few minutes after flares were tossed on to the pitch at around the half-hour mark. It was a big disappointment. Malaysian security should not have let those canisters in. But blame the losers who have nothing better to do than smuggle in these things into a sporting event. That smoke must be terrible on the lungs of athletes, and they are probably a fire hazard too.
ABS-CBN Sports didn't show the first thirty minutes, and on behalf of the company, I say sorry. Previous programming ran late. There was perhaps a lack of forward planning. Maybe there were contractual obligations that had to be fulfilled that prevented cutting those shows short. But no excuse or explanation will suffice.
We let the fans down, and I feel terrible about it. The fans deserved the whole game live, and we couldn't deliver. We were skewered on social media by some and I can't blame them.
This has never happened with ABS-CBN Sports for an Azkals game to my recollection, and I am sure everything will be done to make sure it doesn't happen again.
If it helps, you can watch the Sunday replay at four pm to see every minute of the match.
Follow Bob on Twitter @PassionateFanPH.
