Phil Younghusband scores 3 goals in first game since injury

After eight weeks of rehabilitation, Phil Younghusband can finally play football again. “I scored three goals today! It feels really, really good," he said with a big smile after a friendly game with his club team Smart San Beda FC on Sunday morning. Phil looked extra excited on the pitch as he played his first game since he got injured. Despite having only three days to train for it, he was already up and running in their 8-1 win over the University of the Philippines’ UAAP champion team.

His right leg, which is also his kicking leg, saw action again as he scored three of his team’s eight goals. “Whenever I would see a football while I was recovering, I wanted to kick it but I wasn’t allowed by my doctors," he said. Phil injured his right hamstring during the second leg of their AFC Challenge Cup match against Mongolia last March 15. His muscles had not yet adjusted to the cold weather of Ulan Bator when he made a sudden movement, causing a grade-two muscle tear. The Azkals went on to lose the game but still advanced on account of their 3-2 aggregate score against Mongolia. “I felt really sad having to sit out the game in Mongolia. If you’re not having a good game or you’re a substitute, at least you know that you can still come back and help your team. But I was injured and at that time, I wasn’t sure how severe it was. Plus we were losing, so I was sitting there and thinking about all the things I could’ve done," he recalled. Because of the injury, Phil also missed the Myanmar leg of the AFC Challenge Cup Qualifiers.
“It’s not life-threatening or career-threatening," he said. “But it’s a sensitive muscle and if not taken cared of properly, it could get worse." His recovery was supposed to take only three to four weeks. However, due to his tight schedule and the Holy Week break, it took him eight weeks to finish his therapy sessions. But the long and literally painful wait is over for Phil, and for all the fans who have been waiting for his return to the football scene. Even before the Azkals resume training, the Younghusband brothers will be participating in the National Club Championships in the second week of May. “It feels good to be back on the pitch. I’m excited to play again. I’ve been gone for eight weeks and that’s a really big motivation," he ended. -- BC/OMG, GMA News