Azkals hope to needed 3 points vs Palestine

Azkals hope to needed 3 points vs Palestine - Denied at the last minute the last time out, the Philippine Azkals resume their bid to earn a much-needed win worth three points when they face Palestine on Wednesday in the AFC Challenge Cup Group Round at the Thuwana Stadium in Yangon, Myanmar.

The Azkals were held to a 1-1 draw by Myanmar (No. 161 in the FIFA world rankings) on Monday, with the visitors allowing the hosts' Khin Maung Lwin to tie the match with a late injury-time goal.

Khin scored on a free kick off a foul by Simon Greatwich in the 92nd minute.

Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said President Noyony Aquino is monitoring the games, and congratulated the Azkals despite the draw against Myanmar.

"It goes to show that every minute in football counts. Hindi naman nadismaya (si Presidente sa draw)," said Valte in an interview.

"(The President) still supports the Azkals kahit po ano ang mangyari, we support our own. Siyempre proud of our Filipino players," she added.

The Azkals will be facing a Palestine side which is 20 places lower in the FIFA World rankings at 171, but which is fresh from a 2-0 trouncing of Bangladesh in the other match on Monday to lead Group A with three points.

Azkals manager Dan Palami said, in an earlier team meeting, that playing in the group stage of the AFC Challenge Cup will determine whether the Azkals will have another tournament to play in next year.

Palami, who was chosen by the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) as the 2010 Executive of the Year, added that the matches will also serve as a gauge of whether the team is ready for the World Cup qualifiers in July this year.

The Azkals close out their group stage matches against 174th-place Bangladesh on Friday, March 25.

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Azkals vs Palestine, Bangladesh

Azkals vs Palestine, Bangladesh - Thousands of fans cheered for the host country Myanmar in its game against the Philippines. Using their quickness on point passing and efficient offense, the Myanmar White Angels dominated the first half—recording seven goal attempts 25 minutes into the game.

The football game between the Philippine Azkals and the Bangladesh Bengal Tigers is set at 3:30PM (5 pm Manila time) Friday at the Aung San Stadium in Yangon (Rangoon).

The Azkals desperately need to win to get 3 points. Add that to the 2 points that they got from their last two games, which both ended in a draw then they will get a total of 5 points to qualify for the next round of AFC Challenge Cup. Live streaming of the said game is still not possible so stay tuned for updates and replay schedules.

Despite this, Myanmar went scoreless in the first half thanks to the heroics of Philippine Azkals goalkeeper Neil Etheridge.

The Philippines appeared more aggressive on offense in the second half, sparked by the entry of Yanti Barsales.

In the 75th minute, Barsales was fouled hard in the penalty area by Myanmar’s goalkeeper, prompting officials to show a red card.

The foul also gave the Philippines a golden opportunity to score. James Younghusband took the penalty kick for the roughed up Barsales, who had to leave the game in a stretcher.

Younghusband scored on the penalty kick, giving the Philippines a 1-0 lead.

The Philippines seemed to have control of the game since taking the lead, but the slim lead was squandered when the Azkals’ Simon Greatwich was called for a foul in the final minute of extra time, thus opening the door for Myanmar to score via free kick.

“Very unfortunate. Personally, I don’t think it’s a foul but the team played well,” said Neil Etheridge.

The Philippines would have received three points for a 1-0 win. Instead, Philippines and Myanmar were both given a point each.

The Akzals promise to do better in their remaining games against Palestine on Wednesday, and B

angladesh on Friday.

The team needs six points to guarantee a spot in the AFC Challenge Cup in 2012, but the team has a chance to qualify even with 4 or 5 points.

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Azkals vs Myanmar March 21 Match Result

Azkals vs Myanmar March 21 Match Result - Philippine Azkals vs Myanmar game result is a draw. After 76 minutes of action James Younghusband scored over penalty against Myanmar. But later in the game, Myanmar scored which equalized the match to 1-1.

 

After prevailing over the Mongolian Blue Wolves via a 3-2 aggregate win, the Philippine Azkals will face the Myanmar White Angels Monday, March 21, in Myanmar at around 3PM (4PM Manila time) in the group stage of the AFC Challenge Cup.

Neil Etheridge is set to return as goalkeeper. Helping the Azkals in the absence of injured Phil Younghusband are Rob Gier, Patrick Hinrichsen, Jerry Lucena, Angel Aldeguer Guirado, Yannick Tuason, William Espinosa, David Basa and Ricardo Becite. For live streaming of the said game, the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) and media partner ABS-CBN are reportedly trying everything to get a live feed so standby for updates.

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