Phil Younghusband secures Golden Boot

MANILA, Philippines – It took 16 hours for the Philippine Azkals to get back to Manila from Katmandu.

Through it all, striker Phil Younghusband cradled and kept a close eye on his most prized possession to date: The Golden Boot award in the AFC Challenge Cup.

“It’s my first award at the senior level, so its really important to me,” said Younghusband, a former reserve at English Premiere League club Chelsea who now plays for Loyola Meralco in the United Football League.

The 24-year-old Younghusband finished with six goals from five matches, powering the Azkals to a historic third-place finish.

Unlike in previous tournaments where he was isolated on the attack, Younghusband had plenty of help, and the striker believes the presence of quality players keyed his explosive performance this time.

“I couldn’t have done it without my teammates,” said Younghusband, who scored twice against India and Palestine, which lost to the Azkals, 4-3, in the battle for third place, and one each against Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.

“With Angel (Guirado), we started to click and link up well. And of course I always had a connection with my brother James.”

Phil said bagging third place was a milestone in itself.

At the awarding ceremonies at Dashrath Stadium Monday night, Younghusband shared the limelight with North Korean midfielder Pak Nam-chol, the tournament MVP. North Korea edged Turkmenistan, 2-1, for the title.