Azkals rout Indonesians

HISTORIC WIN Phil Younghusband (left) fights for the ball with Indonesia’s Firman Utina during an AFF Suzuki 2014 Cup match at My Dinh stadium in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Tuesday. The game ended 4-0 in favor of the Philippines. It was the Azkals’ first victory over Indonesia which crushed a Philippine team 13-1 in 2002. AFP

HANOI—It was astonishing, barely believable.

Playing against the team that dealt the country so many heartbreaks in this competition in the past, the Philippines proved ruthless in a 4-0 annihilation of Indonesia Tuesday night in the AFF Suzuki Cup at My Dinh Stadium here.

Phil Younghusband, Manny Ott, Martin Steuble and Rob Gier all found the back of the net on another magical night for the Azkals, who became the first team to reach the tournament’s semifinals.

It was the country’s first victory over Indonesia in 80 years since the Philippines beat Indonesia, then known as the Dutch East Indies, 3-2, in the Far East Games in Manila in 1934.

The Azkals go for a sweep of Group A against Vietnam on Friday at 8 p.m. (Philippine time).

As the Azkals gathered in a circle in front of their bench to celebrate after the final whistle, the Indonesians walked off to the tunnel forlornly, their semifinal hopes now hanging by a thread.

Four years ago, it was the Azkals who were left in despair after a pair of defeats in their first Cup semifinal appearance at Jakarta’s Bung Karno Stadium.

The Philippines suffered its worst loss from Indonesia, 13-1, in 2002. Now, the Philippines has dealt the Indonesians their worst defeat of the tournament.

“This was an outstanding performance from every player for 90 minutes,” said Azkals coach Thomas Dooley. “Every player fought for each other. It was just the way we wanted our game to be.”

“We had to be at our best to beat Indonesia,” said manager Dan Palami.

The Azkals left the Indonesians chasing shadows for long periods and enhanced their credentials by systematically breaking down the enemy’s defense with their passing and movement.

Gier poked home a short corner from Manny Ott in the 76th minute for the Azkals’ fourth goal. The Indonesians were already down to 10 men after Rizki Rizaldi had fouled Younghusband as he bore down on goal.

The superior Azkals dominated the early exchanges but it was the perseverance of Misagh Bahadoran that led to the first goal. Bahadoran pounced on a weak back pass, forcing Indonesia skipper Firman Utina to a foul that led to Younghusband’s 16th-minute penalty.

The Azkals doubled the lead through Ott’s rocket from outside the box.

Some quick thinking from Younghusband led to Steuble’s 68th minute goal. After the Azkals were awarded an indirect free kick inside the area, Younghusband quickly fed the ball to Steuble who fired into an empty net as the Indonesians tried to complain to the referee.