AFF Suzuki Cup match between Philippines and Singapore at Philippine Sports Stadium in Bulacan. Photo by Sherwin Vardeleon/INQUIRER
Bocaue, Bulacan— Faced with the difficult task of taking points from the two teams that have impressed in the tournament so far, the Philippines remains upbeat it can still survive the AFF Suzuki Cup’s Group of Death here.
The scoreless draw against 10-man Singapore before a sparse crowd at Philippine Sports Stadium Saturday night just cranked up the pressure on the Azkals, who face a mountain to climb in their last two matches in Group A starting with Indonesia Tuesday.
The Merah Putih showed their pedigree even in the 2-4 loss to Thailand on opening day, and the Azkals could see their hopes of qualifying to a fourth straight semifinals vanish if they misfire once more.
The Azkals have never won against the Thais, whom they face Friday.
“We always said we want to be at six points when we face Thailand,” said Azkals captain Phil Younghusband, whose team is level with Singapore with one point.
“It’s not happening now, but we’re still confident we can advance. We have the quality in the team, but we have to play better, work harder and convert our chances.”
The Azkals were left frustrated by a combination of some stout Singapore defending, stellar goalkeeping and incessant time-wasting by the Lions, who played with a man disadvantage for almost an hour after Hafiz Sujad was sent off for a dangerous challenge on Younghusband.
Lacking cutting edge in the final third, the Azkals found it difficult to break down the Lions, who were content to soak up the pressure to salvage the point.
Azkals coach Thomas Dooley did tinker his lineup in the second half in a bid to maximize the advantage, but Pika Minegishi and Stephan Schrock wasted good chances.
The lack of goals once again put Dooley’s decision to place Younghusband in a defensive midfield role under the microscope. Misagh Bahadoran started but he was also starved of service. The Azkals’ top scorer the past two years was largely invisible in the match before he was subbed off early in the second half.
The German-American mentor defended his ploy, stressing that the team is able to maximize Younghusband’s quality on the ball and playmaking in his current position.
“It’s his best position right now and he stood out against Singapore,” said Dooley.