(football) Azkals heavily armed for Myanmar

MANILA, Philippines – Bitter over their failed bid against Mongolia the other day, the Philippine Azkals shift their focus on a bigger, tougher battle ahead – the AFC Challenge Cup group stages in Myanmar – armed to the teeth.

“We have to forget about Mongolia and refocus on our (upcoming) games in Myanmar,” Philippine Football Federation president Nonong Araneta told The STAR before the team checked in at Ulan Bator’s Chinggis Khaan International Airport for their flight back home yesterday.

Slowed down by the biting cold in the Mongolian capital and their exhausting pre-game buildup in quake-hit Japan, the Azkals yielded a 1-2 setback to the Blue Wolves in the second leg of their play-off showdown. But aided by their 2-0 victory in the first leg in Bacolod City, Phl eventually won the duel on aggregate, 3-2, to advance to the group stages set March 21-25 against host Myanmar, Palestine and Bangladesh.

The Azkals felt they let their countrymen down with the loss, making apologies left and right on their respective Twitter accounts.

“Still feeling the loss yesterday (Wednesday),” skipper Aly Borromeo said. “Excuses only set you back further. We need to look to get better every time we step on the pitch!”

Without the punishing sub-zero condition of Mongolia, the Azkals see better days ahead in tropical Yangon. Plus they will have Fil-British goalkeeper Neil Etheridge of Fulham back in the fold and two new strikers, Fil-Spanish Angel Aldeguer Guirado and Fil-German William Espinosa Guiridon to beef up the crew.

Fil-British forward Phil Younghusband, however, is a doubtful starter due to a pulled hamstring.

“(The outlook in Myanmar is) Very good, we’ll have a more complete lineup,” Araneta said. “I’m sure they will play a lot better since the weather will be much better, unlike in Mongolia.”

Etheridge, who skipped the second leg due to club commitment in England, is set to fly in to Manila this week and join the Azkals in their flight to Yangon on Saturday.

“It’s an international break from club football so yes they have allowed me to join the team,” said the 20-year-old Etheridge.

Phil Younghusband, who scored one of Phl’s two goals against the Blue Wolves in Bacolod, was forced out of the second leg after sustaining a hamstring injury in the 65th minute. He is set to undergo MRI scan upon the team’s arrival in Manila today to know the extent of his injury.

“Masakit pa rin ang injury ko (My hamstring still hurts),” Younghusband said. “Hindi ko pa alam kung pwede ako maglaro sa Myanmar. Sana makalaro ako (I still don’t know if I can play group stages but I hope I can). “

If Younghusband won’t be around, Araneta said they expect Aldegeur Guirado, a tall striker from the Spanish Division III club Deportivo Ronda, to fill in. Araneta also said the team is hopeful that Fil-British Rob Gier and Fil-Dutch midfielder Jason de Jong will come over after missing the Ulan Bator outing.

The Philippines will be the highest in terms of FIFA ranking among the four teams in Group A of the qualifiers. The Azkals (No. 151) play host Myanmar (162) on March 21, Bangladesh (174) on March 23 and Palestine (177) on March 25, hoping to emerge in the Top 2 of the group to advance to the AFC Challenge Cup’s tournament proper next year.

Phl and Myanmar played to a scoreless draw in the AFF Suzuki Cup group stage last year. As to Palestine and Bangladesh, Araneta said: “We don’t have an idea about them so we’re working to get scouting reports.”