Match on Wednesday (Rajamangala Stadium, Bangkok)
7 p.m. (8 p.m. in Manila) – Thailand vs Philippines
MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Azkals battled fancied Thailand toe-to-toe but failed to pounce on the 10-man disadvantage of the War Elephants in the last 22 minutes to settle for a 0-0 draw in the Asean Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Cup semifinal last night before a good-sized crowd at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.
The standoff – the best result the Philippines posted against regular tormentor War Elephants since 1971 – put the Azkals into good position going to the second leg on Wednesday over in Bangkok. The Pinoy booters only need a scoring draw against the Thais in the away leg to advance to the finals for the very first time.
“I’m okay with the result. We didn’t give up a goal at home and I’d rather we have a tie, 0-0, than lose 1-0 or tie 1-1 (here) so I can live with that,” said Azkals coach Thomas Dooley.
“On the other hand, I’m a little bit sad because we deserved to have a goal and the win today. The boys played great, we created chances. Sometimes you need a little bit of luck and we didn’t have that,” he added.
The Azkals got their best chance in the 53rd when Phil Younghusband extricated from his defender and took goalie Kawin Thamsatchanan 1v1 but lost his footing rushing forward. The home side pressed on especially after Adisak Kraisorn was sent off for hitting Amani Aguinaldo at the 68th but even with the crowd cheering them on, Phl XI found their finishing wanting.
“We respect Thailand and the way they play but we’re not afraid of them. We can play football, too and we showed that tonight. Sometimes in football, you need a little bit of luck. Maybe we’re lucky we didn’t get scored on, too,” said Dooley.
The Azkals nearly conceded at least thrice amid the Thai onslaught, lucky that the visiting side couldn’t get a good hold of the ball as they attacked.
Phl XI leaves for Bangkok on Monday, seeking to complete the job at the 80,000-seater Rajamangala Stadium. The Azkals are in the same position as they were in the 2010 Suzuki Cup semis, drawing with Singapore, 0-0 at home. They lost the second leg on the road against Singapore that time, 0-1, but they hope to change their fortunes this time.
“Maybe we’ll score one over there (Bangkok), even if we don’t win, we (get a scoring) tie and still go to the finals, “ said Dooley.