Visiting Azkals hope to upset Indonesians in home turf

The Philippines enters hostile territory on Thursday when it battles Group A top seed and title favorite Indonesia in the first of two semifinal matches in the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Cup 2010.

The Filipino booters, popularly known as the Azkals, will be up against an Indonesian side that enjoys the support of a 242-million strong football-crazy nation. The cavernous 80,000-seat Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta is expected to be filled by throngs of rabid Garuda fans while Filipinos, who had been hoping to watch the Azkals play their first home game in the Philippines, will be left to cheer for the team glued to their television sets. The Philippines was supposed to play one game on home soil in the home-and-away semis format, but the AFF ruled that the country had no stadium that meets Suzuki Cup standards. The second semis match will be played on Sunday at the same venue. This will be the first time in the tournament’s 14-year history that the Philippines will be playing in the Suzuki Cup semis round after collecting five points in the group stage in Hanoi with a win and two draws. While the Azkalas may only have a handful of supporters in Jakarta, they are aware of the tremendous support they enjoy back home, after that successful stint in Hanoi highlighted by a monumental 2-0 upset of defending champion Vietnam. "It’s a tough task (winning against Indonesia), made even tougher by the fact that the crowd will be behind them," said team manager Dan Palami. "But the team knows that we have an entire country behind us as well." "What we have done the past year boils down to these two games. The players are ready. They have worked hard to reach this level," added Palami.
For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV The duel will actually pit the best attacking and best defensive teams of the tournament. Indonesia has scored 13 goals so far, with five players having two each, while the Philippines has conceded just one. The Philippine defense – composed of defenders Robin Gier, Ray Anthony Jónsson, Anton Del Rosario and team captain Aly Borromeo – have found a way of stopping every conceivable bombardment of their previous high-scoring foes. Also credit Filipino-British goalie and Fulham mainstay Neil Etheridge, whose goalkeeping has been solid since the Philippines began its campaign in the qualifying stages in Laos. British coach Simon McMenemy said there will be no change in tactics on the part of the Filipino booters. "We are just playing to our strengths. We are not equipped to change tactics. We are not yet at that level." On the other hand, the Indonesians will lean heavily on the attacking duo of barrel-chested Cristian Gonzales, a Uruguayan who was naturalized to play for the team, and Dutch-Indonesian Irfan Bachdem. The Indonesians’ attack is so deep that even star striker Bambang Pamungkas is now coming off the bench for the tournament. "I think we are going to be okay as long as we give 100 percent," said McMenemy. The Filipinos hope to change their fortune against the Indonesians, who have beaten them thrice in their head-to-head clashes in Southeast Asia’s men’s football championship, including a stinging l3-1 whipping at the same stadium in 2002. – JVP/KY/HS, GMANews.TV