Pinoy booters arrive in bangkok: Azkals loom as cup contenders

BANGKOK – Azkals skipper Rob Gier said doubters should start looking at the Philippine men’s football team more seriously now as “contenders” in the AFF Suzuki Cup 2014 after serving notice of its bid with a 0-0 draw against tournament favorite Thailand back home in Manila.

“I think we were excellent against Thailand last Saturday and we proved a lot of people wrong, showing them we’re serious contenders in this tournament,” said Gier.

Striker Phil Younghusband agreed. “We’ve shown in that game that we can compete with (strong) teams like Thailand,” he said.

The Azkals oozed with confidence as they arrived in the Thai capital yesterday ahead of Round 2 of their home-and-away semifinal duel with the fancied War Elephants.

Gier feels a goal and a major breakthrough are forthcoming for the Pinoy booters against their highly-touted rival as they seek to complete reversal on Wednesday at Rajamangala Stadium and book a milestone seat to the finals.

“I think if we put up a performance like that (home game) again, there’s no way we can play 180 minutes (two matches) and not score a goal. If we bring the same performance level, the same enthusiasm, the same energy, we’ve got a chance,” said Gier, expressing faith in Younghusband, whom he described as “the best striker in Southeast Asia,” and the back-to-form Paul Mulders to deliver.

Because of the scoreless standoff in Manila, Phl XI only needs a scoring tie in Match 2 to win the two-leg series via “away goal” or goal scored in the opponent’s home field. A first victory in 43 years against the Thais would make the targeted finals entry even sweeter. 

“We’ve got goals in sight. Obviously, the first aim is to keep a clean sheet but (if) we score one, they got to score two now, so the pressure is finally on them,” said Gier.

“If we get a goal in Thailand, then it counts double so I think it’s a big advantage we didn’t concede (an away goal). And if we get a scoring draw, we’ll be in the finals,” said Younghusband.

A hostile crowd of about 45,000 fans is expected to greet the Azkals in this all-important game, an adversity they seek to overcome.

“I’m sure they’ll put a lot of pressure on us. They’ll have 40,000 to 50,000 people behind them and that’s always very, very difficult for an opponent to play against. Good thing is one of their strikers is injured and one can’t play because of red card so this is good for us,” said coach Thomas Dooley, referring to Adisak Kraisom, who was sent off in the Manila leg and Kirati Keawsombut, who went down with hamstring injury.

“We need to play the same football we did in Manila. If we can hold 15-20 in Bangkok, I think we have a good chance,” he added.