Azkals dream final remains a dream

BANGKOK, Philippines – Coming tantalizingly close to their target only to fall short in the end is getting a bit tiring for the Philippine Azkals but that wouldn’t stop them from pursuing their dreams.

“I don’t know if I could say that I’m getting used to it but really, a loss is always painful and especially this one because I know we could have gotten it if we just kept our composure,” Azkals team manager Dan Palami said after a third straight heartbreaker for title-hungry Phl XI in the AFF Suzuki Cup semifinals Wednesday night against Thailand here.

The Pinoy booters, who needed only a scoring draw to beat fancied Thailand for a historic entry to the Asean tilt’s finale, could hardly match the stellar performance of the War Elephants and yielded a 0-3 setback to get the boot.

More than the high skill level of the Thais, the Azkals were somehow thrown off by what they perceived was “unfavorable calls” against them. They vehemently protested the corner kick given the home side that led to the opening goal of Chanatip “Messi-J” Songkrasin that put them on the backfoot seven minutes in.

 “There were some dubious calls from the referee but you can’t blame him. At the end of the day, we create our own chances or lack of it and that’s how it is. Now you go back to the drawing board and ask yourself how can you get over this next barrier?” said Palami.

“For a long time, the Philippines was not able to join the final group stages. We broke that barrier in 2010. From 2010 to 2014 we couldn’t break the barrier of getting past the semifinals so that’s the next step, making sure we do that,” he added.

Next time, the Azkals should also be able to stay composed if calls aren’t going for them.

“It’s a lesson that we have to be focused on the game, not officiating. Of course, we couldn’t fault the players for perceiving that officiating was quite against us. But we should expect that in a home game,” said Philippine Football Federation president Nonong Araneta.

They see a silver lining in this latest chapter in the Azkals saga.

“I really think it’s another great experience moving forward in the right direction. We just didn’t have the trophy and that’s what we play for, so it’s sad,” said an apologetic coach Thomas Dooley.

The former US World Cup team skipper took notice of the nationals’ 4-1 romp over Laos and the “outstanding” 4-0 win over Indonesia in the group stage that sent them into the semis as well as the 0-0 draw with the Thais in the first leg in Manila as highlights.

“If I would have thought that after two games with eight goals and winning against Indonesia, we’re in the second round, that would be a dream come true, and then we tied with Thailand for the first time,” said Dooley.

“But when you play a strong team like Thailand, everything has to be right. As I said before, we have a chance if they don’t have a good game and we have a great game.