abs-cbnNEWS.com
Posted at 02/09/2011 8:06 PM | Updated as of 02/09/2011 10:19 PM
MANILA, Philippines (2nd UPDATE) - The Philippine Azkals carved out a hard-earned 2-0 victory over the Mongolia Blue Wolves in the first leg of their Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Challenge Cup qualifying tie at the jampacked Panaad Stadium in Bacolod City on Wednesday night.
Emilio "Chieffy" Caligdong scored the Philippines’ opening goal in the 42nd minute.
Caligdong tricked a defender near the Mongolian goal and nutmegged the Blue Wolves' goalie to hit the back of the net.
The second goal was scored by Phil Younghusband in the 92nd minute, deep into injury time.
Following a sneaky pass from Jason Sabio, the Filipino-British midfielder muffed his attempt against a Mongolian defender.
Younghusband, however, followed this up with a curling shot that sent the Filipino spectators to jubilation.
He acknowledged the cheers coming from the crowd, even doing a cartwheel to celebrate their second goal.
The Azkals, not known for their offense, put up a solid attacking game against the Blue Wolves.
In the first half alone, the Filipinos had 7 goalscoring attempts against the Mongolians' 2 attempts.
Ecstatic
Caligdong was so ecstatic with the victory.
“Sobrang saya ko,†said the Ilongo booter. “Kung anong ibinigay na instructions ni Coach [Hans Michael Weiss], ginawa ko lang.â€
Weiss said the win has effectively sent a message to other competitors in the Asian level.
“The Philippines is now in the competition,†said the German coach, who was tapped by the Azkals’ management after the team’s success in the 2010 Suzuki Cup.
The Azkals received a major morale boost from more than 18,000 Filipino fans who trooped to Panaad Stadium.
Weiss said the home crowd has certainly perked the Azkals’s confidence.
“They are wonderful,†the German said of the Filipino fans. “Fantastic, I can’t find the words.â€
Big blow
The Mongolians said during the post game that the Filipino booters drew them into a tough battle.
One of their players recieved a red card in the first half after being slapped with 2 yellow cards, one for a foul and another for handball.
This, they said, was a big blow to them as this reduced their line up to just 10 players.
The Blue Wolves will seek their revenge on March 15 when the home-and-away cup tie resumes in Ulan Bator.
The Azkals, on the other hand, plan to spend 6 days of training and acclimatization in Baguio City to prepare themselves for Mongolia’s cold climate.
P3 million fund from PNoy
Meanwhile, Philippine Football Federation (PFF) president Mariano Araneta Jr. disclosed that President Benigno Aquino III released P3 million from his Social Fund for the organizational needs of the Azkals-Blue Wolves match.
"Although President Aquino earlier sent his regrets that he would be unable to grace the occasion, he, however, released P3 million to help us fund this big international football event," Araneta said.
"We are grateful for his support of the Azkals and Philippine football, which should inspire our boys to play their best in front of our countrymen," Araneta said of the event backed by the POC, PSC, Smart and Mizuno.
Araneta added that the Azkals’s emphatic victory served as a belated present for the President who celebrated his 51st birthday last Tuesday.
Among those who witnessed the match were Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Peping Cojuangco and Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chairman Richie Garcia, whose sports agency helped install the additional light at Panaad so that the match could be televised.
Also present were ABS-CBN Chief Executive Officer Eugenio “Gabby†Lopez III, ABS-CBN Vice-President for Sports Peter Musngi, Batangas Vice-Governor Mark Leviste, former Commission on Elections (COMELEC) commissioner Gregorio “Goyo†Larrazabal and Negros Occidental Congressman Carlos “Charlie†Cojuangco. – With reports from Ira Pedrasa, abs-cbnNews.com and TJ Manotoc, ABS-CBN News
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Topic: Philippine Azkals beat Mongolia Blue Wolves, 2-0 (Read 1133 times)