Azkals go for semis berth vs Indonesians

HANOI – The Philippine Azkals seek to attain what coach Thomas Dooley called “the perfect solution” by securing the first semifinal berth in the AFF Suzuki Cup 2014 with a victory against old nemesis Indonesia today at My Dinh Stadium.

The Azkals kicked off their quest with a 4-1 thrashing of Laos for a leading three points in Group A. Host Vietnam and Indonesia fought to a 2-2 standoff to settle for one point apiece, putting Phl into striking position to snag an early Final Four slot in Day 2 of group play. This is an opportunity the Pinoy booters intend to capitalize on.

“It’s our goal. If you win the first two games and move to the semis, you can’t ask for more. It’s a lot of pressure taken away from us and we can rest the players in the third game (of group play against Vietnam),” said Dooley.

“It’s a perfect solution but first, we have to win (today against Indonesia),” he added.

In their head-to-head duel, the Phl has only won once and had two draws against 19 losses to Indonesia.

The Azkals could guarantee their entry to a third consecutive semis with a victory against the Indons. If they fall short, there’s still a chance to salvage a berth but they have to do it against Vietnam in front of a hostile, 40,000-strong crowd on Friday.

“Win that one game (today) and we’re in the semis. If we don’t win, we get a chance again against Vietnam but we have to understand that Vietnam is the best team in this group so it will even be more difficult (seeking the semis) against the hosts. So that’s why everybody has to focus on beating Indonesia,” said Dooley.

It’s some sort of a grudge match as Phl lost to Indonesia in the two-leg semis of the 2010 Suzuki Cup on goal aggregate, 2-0.

Indonesia coach Alfred Reidl said they expect a difficult match.

“The Philippines dominated Laos except for a few moments when they had difficulty defending,” said Reidl.

He was at the helm too when they met the Azkals four years back.

“Even if we won in two games played in 2010, it was so difficult for us. We expect it to be the same or even more (difficult today). Maybe they (Phl) are even better now than in 2010,” he added.

With the Merah Putih badly needing a win, the Azkals brace for an aggressive side.

“They will be more aggressive than how they played against Vietnam. They will definitely play more forwards. They need to win the game against us so I think they will attack a little bit more,” said Dooley.

Team manager Dan Palami expects the Azkals to learn from their shortcomings in the Laos game, which saw the Laotians draw first blood before the Azkals bounced back with four goals.

“We need a better organization at the back. We avoid mistakes at the back and I think we’re safe,” said Palami.

“And of course, the key would be to convert the chances that will be given to us because certainly, with how Indonesia played the first game, I think we’ll be given some touches on goal and I just hope we’ll be able to convert those,” he added.

Co-skipper Phil Younghusband said they should avoid fouling in close range.

“I think we have to stop giving free kicks away in dangerous places,” he said, recalling the foul at the edge of the box in the last game that resulted in a 1-0 lead for Laos.