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Azkals 3, Nepal 0: fresh faces make a splash

Postgame thoughts on the Philippines' terrific win in Doha.

The new Azkals impressed. With Phil Younghusband and Jeff Christiaens unable to start due to injury, Curt Dizon and Daisuke Sato picked up the slack in a big way.

Dizon showed some terrific composure on his opener, controlling Sato's gorgeous pass with with his left foot, and then, just like the coaches tell you to, speared home with an early finish. Perhaps we'd like to see a replay from the side to make absolutely sure it wasn't offside, but a goal is a goal.

Sato showed he is more than capable of filling in for Christiaens. Not only was he involved in the first goal, but I loved what he did in the second half when Gier went in the middle of the pitch and Nepal evaded him and crossed into the box. Sato, all the way over from left back, slid over to the middle and dealt with the cross. This nineteen year-old's football IQ is very good indeed.

Props to James Younghusband for supplying Martin Steuble with the second strike. Steuble scythed through a ball-watching Nepalese defense and exploited some amateurish goalkeeping from Kiram Chemjong to nod into the net.

In that instance Chemjong had two options: stay home and try to react to the inevitable header, or venture out and attempt to punch clear. He did neither, opting to go out and meekly post up Steuble instead. He paid dearly for his shoddy work.

But I must admit that the third goal was my favorite, since it came from Balot Doctora. His presence is somewhat of a holdover from the days when Barotac Nuevo produced most of our national-team footballers.

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Truth be told, Doctora shone even before the goal. He has a great knack for finding space in dangerous places without the ball. When he did have possession, all of his offloads were spot-on. He teased us with two attempts before finally striking in injury time.

Kudos to Simon Greatwich who provided the sweetest, most perfectly-weighted through-ball on Balot's goal. But Doctora showed why he is such a dangerous goalscorer with an artful outside-of-the-boot touch to tee up the score.

It's frustrating to think how Michael Weiss ignored him for three whole years. Imagine the damage he could have done had he been given a chance. Fortunately Dooley has recognized his quality. Since he is in-form both for club and country, Doctora is now likely a lock for Maldives.

The Azkals have three new international goalscorers, which coach Thomas Dooley, after 180 goalless minutes in his first two matches in charge, has to like.

The Azkals' movement was good. Apart from a few throwback long balls from Juani Guirado, the Philippines continued to play attractive, possession-oriented football. Jaron Genota, the Azkals staffer, even noticed that Doctora's goal came after eight passes. That can only come when players move appropriately and effective without the ball.

As Chuck Severino, Manila Jeepney FC's manager (and the dude who wears the dog suit at home games in Rizal Memorial) likes to say, “when I watch a game, I like to see the movement of the players. The goals are just a bonus.”

When a team is constantly in motion without the ball, it confuses defenses, and more often than not, results in goals.

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I wish Nepal were better. A stiffer challenge would have been appreciated on Friday night, but Nepal just didn't have it. They seemed to lack pace up front, with neither Anil Gurung nor Ju Manu Rai displaying the explosiveness needed at the international level. Jagjit Shrestha showed promise with his dribbling when the sides met in 2011, but that skill was absent on Friday.

Nepal's game plan of not pressing our back four and then taking chances on long north-south balls did not prosper. The tactics seems as outmoded as coach Raju Kaji Shakya's mullet hairstyle.

The game proved to be a confidence-builder for the Philippines, but for certain competition will be stiffer in Maldives.

I was not a fan of the 1:30 am kickoff time. As it turns out, this match was the second in a Friday doubleheader in Doha. The first game appeared to be a league match involving Al-Ahli, the side the Azkals will play on Monday. No wonder it got pushed back.

The match kicked off at a bit past 8:30 pm local time. That allowed supporters of both teams to come out in droves, but it meant fans in the Philippines had to stay up very late to watch the game. Good thing it fell on a Saturday morning when most didn't have work.

The team management should try to ensure that kickoff times for middle east games work better for both the fans in the stadium and the fans back home. Had the Philippines insisted on a seven pm local time kickoff, then Pinoys watching here could have taken in a midnight kickoff and would be in bed by two am.

Or perhaps they could have given the Philippines the first match of the doubleheader. That would have made for a 11:30 pm kickoff.

At any rate, there's a replay today, Saturday, at four pm on Sports + Action (Ch. 23).

Unfortunately Monday's match with Al-Ahli won't be broadcast here. But we can all look forward to April 27, when the Philippines entertain Malaysia in Cebu.

Follow Bob on Twitter @PassionateFanPH.