Azkals seek improbable semis in Suzuki Cup

Sunday night's stunning 2-0 win by the Philippines against defending champion Vietnam in the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Cup 2010 has stirred things up in the football-crazy Southeast Asian region.

Suddenly, everyone seems to have taken notice of the Azkals, the Philippine men’s national football team. Azkal or askal is a contraction of asong kalye (street dog) and is the chosen nickname of the squad, since it also means a mixed-breed dog in the Philippines. In an instant, sports-crazy Filipinos became football fans to rally behind the Azkals. Other competing teams are not taking them lightly, apparently now giving them a second look. The Philippine team started out as a decided underdog in the tournament, having finished last in its group three years ago in Bangkok. But what seemed to be yet another lackluster campaign in the AFF-organized biennial football competition became an interesting story with PHL's draw against favored Singapore followed by the shock upset of the champions. Now the Azkals, a 30-member crew that encountered numerous problems when they were being formed, face their biggest test as they aim for a semifinal slot against Myanmar on Wednesday at the Hien Troung Stadium in Nam Dinh, Vietnam. That surprising win against the defending champions, and the 1-1 draw against Singapore, have the Filipinos leading Group B with four points. A draw against winless Myanmar in their 8:30 p.m. encounter (Manila time) will give the Philippines a ticket to the home-and-away semifinals for the first time in the 16-year history of Southeast Asia's most prestigious football tournament. Vietnam faces Singapore in the other crucial match Wednesday, with the host squad badly needing a win to keep their title defense bid alive. A PHL loss coupled with a draw between Vietnam and Singapore could still eliminate the Filipinos. If Vietnam prevails, the Filipinos must finish with a better goal difference over Singapore to advance. That is why team manager Dan Palami reminded his wards not to be complacent. "There should be no let-up from our team. We should not be satisfied. We have a great chance to do something big for Philippine football and we want to make the most out of it." Team captain Aly Borromeo supported Palami's statement. "We must forget about the Vietnam game and just focus on Myanmar." Even British coach Simon McMenemy cautioned his charges. "It's very difficult to try to stay grounded after that win against Vietnam. Things like that don’t happen very often." "As much as we're elated, we're not looking further than the next game. Myanmar will give us problems because they have nothing to lose." All three had every reason to be wary against Myanmar, which held the Philippines to a scoreless draw in 2007. With Phil Younghusband, Neil Etheridge, Jason de Jong, Rob Gier and Ray Jonnson among the key additions combining with mainstays like Borromeo and Chieffy Caligdong and the comebacking Chris Greatwitch, the Azkals have earned the respect of their formidable foes. Myanmar has had a disappointing campaign so far, but showed plenty of fight against Singapore. The Burmese led at halftime, 1-0, only to give up two goals in the second half, including an injury-time strike from Agu Casmir, to absorb their second straight setback. – KY/JVP, GMANews.TV