Azkals shock Tajikistan, make Challenge Cup semis
The Philippine Azkals made history by advancing to the semifinals of the AFC Challenge Cup with a thrilling 2-1 win over Tajikistan in Kathmandu, Nepal.
Tajikistan, at 145 ranked 11 places higher than the Philippines in the FIFA rankings, took the lead in the first minute of stoppage time in the first half off a header by Alexey Negmatov from a corner kick. Initially it appeared as if Chieffy Caligdong had cleared the shot before it crossed the goal line, but the referee eventually ruled it a goal.
The Philippines knotted it up in the 54th minute when Angel Guirado's cross beat goalkeeper Alisher Tuychiev and found an unmarked Phil Younghusband, who easily tapped it in for his third goal of the tournament and his 21st overall for the Philippines.
Buoyed by the equalizer, the Azkals appeared to take better control of the match, and seven minutes later Younghusband nearly scored again, his effort catching Tuychiev off his line but hitting the post.
The Azkals finally seized the lead for good in the 80th minute courtesy of a Guirado header (although it appeared he might have made an impressive play by striking it with his shoulder) off a long ball from the right flank. From there, the Philippine defense simply held its ground to ensure passage into the semifinals of this event for the first time ever. Paul Mulders even had a chance to make it 3-1 in the 87th with a brilliant solo run along the right flank, but his shot was just wide to the left.
When the final whistle blew, the Azkals whooped it up on the pitch, in a scene reminiscent of the moments that followed their improbable 2-0 win over Vietnam in the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup. The team has been hounded by a sexual harassment allegation back home, but they have rallied around each other to continue their Cinderella run in the tournament.
The win gave the Azkals six points, good enough for second place in their group behind North Korea, which earned the full nine points with a 4-0 thrashing of India. The Philippines plays Group A winner Turkmenistan on Friday for a place in the finals. The other semifinal will see North Korea clashing with Palestine.
A cause for concern, though, might be the unavailability of Guirado and midfielder James Younghusband, who were both booked for their second yellow cards in the tournament. In the event the two will be suspended, Coach Hans Michael Weiss still has plenty of choices among his substitutes, including Misagh Bahadoran, Jason De Jong, Marwin Angeles, and Dennis Cagara.
Tajikistan, winners of this event in 2006,was the busier team in the first half, controlling possession for longer stretches. But the Azkals had their chances as well, with Ray Jonsson creating an opportunity in third minute with a ball in that Younghusband just missed with a header. Younghusband came close again in the ninth minute with a powerful shot from the right flank that was on target but was deflected by Sysoev.
Midfielder Fatkhullo Fatkhuloev had a good chance in the 22nd for Tajikistan with a strike that was just wide to the left, the culmination of a long build-up by Tajikistan that underscored their penchant for possession ball.
Younghusband came tantalizingly close in the 32nd after a poor clearance by the Tajikistan defense inside the penalty box. But good goalkeeping by Tuychiev kept the match scoreless until that goal by Negmatov just moments before the halftime whistle.
The Philippines entered this tournament with modest expectations after being bracketed with the past three champions of this event. But their journey that started in Panaad in February last year with a 2-nil win over Mongolia is still alive, and against Turkmenistan they will be up against a foe that is ranked 10 places lower than them in the FIFA rankings but which is in the midst of its own fairytale run, winning two matches and drawing once while conceding only one goal so far.
E-mail: sid_ventura@yahoo.com. Twitter: @Sid_Ventura
