BANGKOK—For a tightly knit crew that has endured pain and basked in glory together, this is one journey it doesn’t want to end.
But a Herculean task awaits the Philippines as it seeks to rewrite history in the AFF Suzuki Cup semifinals here Wednesday night.
Their confidence boosted by the scoreless draw in Manila last Saturday, the Azkals try to complete the job against a heavily favored Thailand side at the imposing Rajamangala Stadium here.
A win or even a scoring draw will be enough to send the Azkals to a first finals appearance in the tournament that served as the team’s springboard to fame four years ago.
The idea of a mismatch because of the Thais’ long-standing dominance over the Filipinos in this tournament was quickly extinguished by the Azkals in the first leg in Manila.
But getting a result here is easier said than done with the Thais expected to come out with all guns blazing in front of their own fans.
The Azkals are never lacking in belief and the match presents an opportunity for them to finally get over the hump after back-to-back semifinal appearances.
“I’ve been with this team long enough to know what we’re capable of doing, and everyone in this team believes we’re capable of winning against Thailand,” said skipper Rob Gier, who has been part of the squad since 2009.
“We know it won’t be easy but if we put in a performance like in the first leg, we can score goals.”
Azkals manager Dan Palami is also upbeat over the team’s chances of pulling off an upset.
“It’s an open game and both teams are wary of what could happen,” he said. “Our players in the first leg got a glimpse of how we could play against them and I think we don’t have to deviate too much from that formula.”
The Azkals got a boost with the Thais expected to miss striker Kirati Keawsumbit due to injury and Adisak Kaisorn, who will serve a suspension for an elbow on Amani Aguinaldo in the first leg.
But coach Thomas Dooley remains wary as the Thais have depth in their lineup and a solid system of play in place. Dooley said there will be little room for error this time for the Azkals.
“Everything has to connect,” said Dooley. “We played a good game at home but we need to eliminate some mistakes and have to be a little more intricate with our passing and add quality to our finishing.”
Crucial to the play of the Azkals has been the linkup at midfield between Manny Ott and Jerry Lucena which has given Phil Younghusband a chance to further flourish in his role up front. But equally important will be the presence of the young Aguinaldo who has been getting threats from Thai fans online for his role on Adisak’s dismissal.
In fact, Palami has beefed up security in the Azkals’ camp to ensure the players’ safety.
“We have some security concerns that we have managed to address,” he said.