Azkals, Vietnamese dispute Group A top spot tonight

HANOI—Already assured of a place in the semifinals, the Philippines seeks to continue its dominance of Vietnam Friday night when they dispute top spot in Group A of the AFF Suzuki Cup at My Dinh Stadium here.

Although free from the burden of needing a good result against a Vietnamese side aching to avenge recent defeats, the Azkals are bracing for a rude reception from an expected crowd of 40,000 in the 7 p.m. match (8 p.m. in Manila).

There’s no love lost between the two sides as they clash in the group stage for the third straight tournament.

The Azkals prevailed in the last two meetings with the most memorable one coming in 2010, when they stunned the then defending champion Vietnamese, 2-0, at home. The victory sparked the renaissance of the sport in the Philippines.

A draw would be enough for the Azkals to top the group and gain a slight home field advantage in the next round. Vietnam could still miss out on the semifinals if it loses and Indonesia catches up on goal difference with a win over Laos, in a match to be played simultaneously at Hang Day Stadium.

Apart from possibly avoiding heavy favorite Thailand in the next round, the No. 1 team in Group A will also host the second leg of the semifinals against the second-ranked team from Group B on Dec. 11.

More importantly, the winner of Group A will also play the second leg of the finals at home in the event that the team gets that far into the competition.

Changes are expected in the starting eleven with Juani Guirado and Patrick Reichelt both ruled out due to a hamstring and knee injury, respectively.

“We’re in a good situation, so we don’t have to ‘stress’ too much about this game,” Azkals coach Thomas Dooley told Filipino reporters here. “It gives us a good feeling about resting and concentrating on things that need to be done.”

But skipper Rob Gier vowed that they will not pull their punches as the Azkals seek to top the group for the first time in history.

“Make no mistake about it, we want to finish first place (in the group),” said Gier, who came in as a sub and scored in the win over Indonesia. “We won’t be taking that foot off the pedal. But Vietnam is the toughest game of the group.”

The Azkals have been playing scintillating football, scoring eight goals in their first two matches that saw them whip Laos (4-1) and Indonesia (4-0) and impressed Vietnam’s Japanese coach Toshiya Miura.

“The Philippines is very strong and recently has been stronger than Vietnam,” he said.