Azkals hold Indonesia to a 2-2 draw

Younghusbands score as subs

2:06 am | Wednesday, June 6th, 2012

Phil Younghusband

A resilient Philippine side needed to come back from a goal down twice to salvage a 2-2 draw against 2010 Suzuki Cup tormentor Indonesia in a testy duel last night at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.

Coming off the bench for the first time in their international careers, Phil Younghusband and James Younghusband remained just as effective, finding the target in an enthralling second half that saw four goals and three red cards.

Making the most out of their two real chances, the Indonesians struck twice through swift counterattacks with Patrick Wanggai giving the visitors the lead with his 57th minute header and Irfan Bachdim making it 2-1 on the breakaway.

The Filipinos were reduced to nine men when skipper Chieffy Caligdong and Manny Ott were sent off in the 80th minute, but they immediately responded with Phil Younghusband’s equalizer off a free kick.

“We can live with a draw because we have a new squad,” said Bachdim, one of three holdovers from the Suzuki Cup squad which saw action last night.

Azkals coach Michael Weiss deviated from his usual starting eleven, opting to make just two changes from the side that drew with Malaysia last Friday. Marwin Angeles was inserted to the starting lineup in place of Stephan Schrock, while Dennis Cagara, who along with Jerry Lucena arrived only Monday night from Denmark, took the leftback position of Juani Guirado. Roland Muller also got a second consecutive start ahead of Neil Etheridge.

“The result is of course is a little disappointing which I can understand,” said Weiss, whose squad flies to Bacolod on Saturday for a duel with Guam on June 12. “But we have to see this as (result) in a long-term perspective. We are trying new players and looking for options because we have a bigger pool now.”

“You saw today how much we’ve grown (since 2010),” said Younghusband. With Mark Giongco, INQUIRER.net

Originally posted: 9:14 pm | Tuesday, June 5th, 2012

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Tags: Football , Indonesia , Phil Younghusband , Philippine Azkals , Sports

1tiago2bangkilan3

down to nine men? in a friendly? mag.boksing na lang kayo.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_GRVAJUYIO6PRIAPQHNE6MYKNEQ Lando

Mabuhay Azkals ! Really intense and exciting game. Bring more glory and honor to our country !
http://jaoromero.com/ Jao Romero

it was good of Weiss to experiment with the line up. i think he should do this even more during friendlies. mix it up, and try all kinds of combination. there are a lot of advantages to trying out new line ups and not starting the usual starters.

1. the regular starters are given a rest – let’s admit it. wear and tear takes a toll on an athlete’s body. we need to be more careful in protecting our starters from getting an injury, especially if it’s just from a friendly game. if we’re playing an official tournament match and not just a friendly, then sure, bring out all our big guns and play them maximum minutes. but for a friendly, we really should just be using it as a way to play with our line ups.

2. the bench gains more experience and more confidence – nothing gives a player more confidence than being given the chance to play on the field. the more playing time these players get, the stronger our bench gets. as evidenced by the defeat we suffered at the hands of Turkmenistan, it was obvious we need a reliable bench to replace our starters if ever they get injured or suspended.

3. discovering new strengths and finding weaknesses. playing new line ups allow Weiss to find new things that work. it gives us more weapons to work with when facing opponents who have varying styles.

4. prevents our team’s real strength from being scouted. opposing teams will never have full information into the real strength of our team by watching our friendlies. by the time they discover our real strength, they’re already at the losing end of it.
PHtaxpayer

Well, I was impressed by the “new” Azcals style of play tonight. Of course, gone are all the local players except for Chiefy. All the players now are Europeans and they play like Europeans. Gone is the lousy passing and weak defense. We suddenly have a strong team who have tied Malaysia and Indonesia, thanks to our imports. Tonight was the most exciting game I have seen yet from the Azcals. The Indonesians were pretty impressive too and this just makes it all the more satisfying to see our national team hold their own.

Makes even me want to try playing soccer. LOL
ealicer

What a game..what a game. kahit freindly game lang pero ang intense ng laro
PHtaxpayer

who cares?
http://jaoromero.com/ Jao Romero

if i recall correctly, Ramos did not file any case in court. she made it a trial by publicity, and then filed a complaint with FIFA. a decision is supposed to come out any time now.

Azkals hold Indonesia to a 2-2 draw

Younghusbands score as subs

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