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Caligdong, Younghusband deliver in Azkals' 2-0 AFC win vs Mongolia


Left wing Emil Caligdong of Philippine Air Force came through with a brilliant play in the first half and striker Phil Younghusband capped the Philippine Azkals’ relentless offense by scoring in injury time for a 2-0 victory over Mongolia Wednesday night in their AFC Challenge Cup pre-qualifying match at the packed Panaad Stadium in Bacolod City. Caligdong scored the first goal for the Azkals in the 42nd minute. The midfielder called by his peers as “Chieffy" eluded his defender then delivered the first point right between the legs of the Mongolian goalie to the delight of the raucous hometown crowd. Younghusband, easily one of the most popular booters on the Azkals side, wasn’t content with killing the time away. Three minutes deep into injury time, the former Chelsea player epitomized the team's unrelenting attack as he left-booted a goal right through the Mongolian defense to seal the win for the Azkals. The 2-0 victory gives the Azkals some cushion as they travel to Mongolia for the second leg. Previously set for February 16, the away game was reset to March 15, with Mongolia taking its turn at playing host in the home-and-away format. The Azkals eventually nailed two goals after missing several opportunities to score, but for newly-installed German coach Michael Weiss, the number of attempts his team made was indeed a good sign. “That only goes to show we have good ideas in our minds. That’s not something bad," said Weiss, who took over the coaching reins from Simon McMenemy last January. The Azkals and the entire nation are still savoring the victory, but our booters buckle down to work in the coming days and train in Baguio City to get themselves used to cold weather similar to what they will experience in Mongolia, “We’re very happy. Nasunod yung mga plays and instructions na binigay ni coach," said Caligdong. It was a dominating show by the Azkals, who used their experience to the hilt against their younger counterparts. The Mongolians average only 23 years old. - KY, OMG, Rey Joble, GMA News

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