AFC Challenge Cup: Bangladesh vs Philippines

0 — 3

Bangladesh vs Philippines

In the crucial game which decides if the Azkals will advance to the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup, Philippines came out strong and won a resounding victory with 3 goals.  First goal came from Ian Araneta in the 41^st minute, ending his international goal drought (of 9 games).  Angel Aldeguer Guirado scored the last two goals in the 55^th and 80^th minute.

I can’t really comment more on this as I didn’t get to watch the game.  But reading it from the tweets of @craigburrows, @roymondous, @cedelfpt and @DYANCASTILLEJO, it seemed like it would have been a very exciting game to watch.

Anyway, with all games played in the Group A, here’s the updated table:

Team	GP	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Palestine	3	2	1	0	5	1	4	7
Philippines	3	1	2	0	4	1	3	5
Bangladesh	3	1	0	2	2	5	-3	3
Myanmar	3	0	1	2	2	6	-4	1

Match Scores
Myanmar vs Philippines	1-1
Palestine vs Bangladesh	2-0
Philippines vs Palestine	0-0
Bangladesh vs Philippines	3-0
Myanmar vs Palestine	1-3
Bangladesh vs Myanmar	2-0

Palestine and Philippines tops the group and will qualify for the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup.  They will be joining India, Turkmenistan, Maldives and Tajikistan.  We’ll know by April 12 who will be taking last two slots for the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup.

I heard that Studio 23 will be air the delayed telecast of the Philippines vs Palestine game on March 29 @ 4PM (but I dunno yet if this is true, I’ll let you know).  But there’s definitely no schedule yet for the delayed telecast of Philippines vs Bangladesh game as ABS-CBN is still trying to get a copy of the video.  We’ll keep you updated.

AFC Challenge Cup: Philippines vs Myanmar Update 2

1—1

Myanmar vs Philippines

Finally saw the delayed telecast of the match and here are the numbers:

Myanmar			Philippines
1st Half	2nd Half		1st Half	2nd Half
0	1	Goals	0	1
11	2	Shots Taken	5	14
6	1	Shots on Target	3	8
4	1	Corner	0	4
2	0	Offside	2	0
1	1	Free Kick	2	2
0	0	Yellow Card	0	0
0	1	Red Card	0	0

I separated the figures of the 1^st half from the 2^nd half so you can see how the game changed from after halftime.  The numbers confirmed how the Azkals had a slow start, not having a lot of chances and were mainly defending the shots of Myanmar.  And you’ll see in the 2^nd half, they seem to pick up their game and become more offensive. Btw, the figures for shots taken & on target came from my count, it actually does not match ABS-CBN's which is Myanmar-15 and Philippines-11 for Shot Attempts.  Dunno if mine are accurate..

Goals:

            76^th minute – James Younghusband (Philippines)

            90^th + 3 minute – Khin Maung Lwin (Myanmar)

Red Cards:

            Kyaw Zin Htet (Myanmar)

I know this is 2 days too late and there have been a lot of news/reports on this game, but here are my two cents on this match (if you’re interested):

1)   I finally saw the player from La Liga (albeit from the lower divisions), Aldeguer (that’s the name he used on his jersey), play.  This towering figure up front is surprisingly fast for a huge guy.  He has amazing dribbling skills.

2)   I never really saw Etheridge play coz I missed the Suzuki Cup games and he never really got to strut his stuff in the 1^st Leg of the Mongolia match.  And from this game, I can see he’s quite impressive, specially in the 1^st half.  He’s a commanding presence at the back, kinda reminds me of Casillas.  And, did you notice his hands??  I bet they’re quite big… he can hold a football with one hand… I dunno if it’s because of the gloves? But I rarely see goalies do this.  And you know what they say about guys with big hands… they need big gloves... ;D

3)   I was a bit worried that many of the foreign players are coming in hours or a day before matches and not really getting to practice/train with the team.  But we actually had great teamwork, there were some great passes within the team (kinda, like the Spanish possession type of play, but of course, I’m not saying it’s at that level yet).  I guess the Myanmar defense was just really organized and sometimes our offense just needs a little push to create the chances.

4)   We had a “physique” advantage to this game.  Comparing the Myanmar players to the Mongolians, they were obviously smaller/shorter.  We had players who are 6ft plus in height like Aldeguer, Borromeo, Younghusband and Etheridge.  I remember when it was the Philippines who were considered the small players.
5)   I love how we have players who are older than 35 years old.  And they even give the young ones a run for their money.  So those guys out there who are going into their 30s, you can still play for the Azkals, if you're good, that is. :P

6)   Also, finally saw the Barsalaes tackle… OMFG!  That was one scary tackle.  Studs up, to the face.  Ouch!

7)   And finally… the last goal of the game.  Even though I already know the outcome, and I already knew when the last goal would be scored, it was still heartbreaking to watch it.  Because seeing how the Azkals played the 2^nd half, there were so many chances for them to actually score a second goal… but… such is football.

AFC Challenge Cup Qualifiers: Azkals' chances

Here’s my attempt on being an expert (hope I got my calculations correct)…

Assuming that Bangladesh will win in tonight’s game against Myanmar (as they are leading 1-0 in half time), there will be nine possible outcomes with the last two games.  But here are the three scenarios on which the Azkals can advance to the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup…

Scenario 1: Palestine loses to Myanmar and we win against Bangladesh

Scenario 2: Palestine vs Myanmar will end in a draw and we win against Bangladesh

Scenario 3: Palestine wins against Myanmar and we win against Bangladesh

 

If Bangladesh vs Myanmar game will end in a draw, then here are the scenarios for us to qualify:

Scenario 1: Palestine loses to Myanmar and we win against Bangladesh

Scenario 2: Palestine vs Myanmar will end in a draw and we win against Bangladesh

Scenario 3: Palestine wins against Myanmar and we win against Bangladesh

Scenario 4: Palestine wins against Myanmar and we draw in our match against Bangladesh

Scenario 5: If Palestine vs Myanmar will end in a draw and we draw in our match against Bangladesh, we will be tied with Myanmar for the 2nd spot.  It will then be decided based on Goal Difference, that means we need to score lots and lots of goals

But one thing is for sure, it is important that we WIN our last game.

AFC Challenge Cup Qualifiers: Philippines vs Myanmar Update

Myanmar vs Philippines Replay Skeds:

March 23 @ 10:15PM on Studio 23

March 24 @ 3PM on Studio 23
March 24 @ 12NN on Balls Channel
March 25 @ 4PM on Balls Channel

Here’s the Official Statement from ABS-CBN regarding the replay of the Philippines vs Myanmar match:

Barring any flight delays, ABS-CBN Sports will air MYA-PHL match tom. at 10:15 p.m. (replay on Mar. 24, Thurs., 3 p.m.) on St. 23. Video quality is far from the best as it was shot by MRTV.

was this the shot that scored the equalizer? 
We'll just have to wait for the replay.  More pics here

So in the mean time, you can check out these news articles on the game:

Azkals held to draw by late injury time goal

Azkals blow won game, take draw

Azkals settle for draw with Myanmar

Myanmar denies win for Philippine Azkals in 1-1 draw

AFC Challenge Cup Qualifiers: Philippines vs Myanmar

1 — 1

Myanmar vs Philippines

March 21 @ 5PM (Philippine Time)

The match ended with a 1-1 draw.  What makes it a heartbreaking result is that Myanmar equalized during the last minute (literally!) of the stoppage time.  Last minute goals are pretty frustrating if you're the team leading in score.  'Coz you're there thinking, you've got it in the bag, just a few minutes more... and all of a sudden, you lose your lead and you barely have time left to get it back.  But, that's football for you... anything can happen.

I can't really say anything more about the match since there was no live telecast.  Myanmar did not grant our request for a live coverage of the game, we had to rely on twitter updates by people who were there (sucks, right?).  ABS-CBN will try to secure a copy of the video coverage of the match and the person who will be bringing the video to the Philippines will arrive here by Wednesday (Mar 25) morning and ABS will try to air it as soon as they can.

I’ll update you in case I’ll find photos of the game.

If you haven’t caught the live twitter updates, I’ve tried to collate the tweets of @craigburrows, @DYANCASTILLEJO, @cedelfpt, @philfootball and @PhilYHusband to get an “almost” minute-by-minute commentary (“almost” because internet connection in Myanmar is patchy). 

Here you go:

1^st Half

à 1 minute of silence for japan

à Kick off

            @cedelfpt: azkals in blue kits with Myanmar in red and white.  Etheridge in black

            @DYANCASTILLEJO: myanmar has the ball

            @DYANCASTILLEJO: corner kick for Myanmar and neil gets the ball

            @cedelfpt: angel strikes an imposing figure on the pitch.  First corner to myanmar.

à 3^rd minute

            @cedelfpt: Neil fumbles corner but recovers. oooh

            @DYANCASTILLEJO: good catch by myanmar goalie

            @DYANCASTILLEJO: foul by new spanish forward aldeguer guirado

à 5^th minute

            @cedelfpt: james sends a cross to ian but myanmar keeper safely holds on

à 6^th minute

@cedelfpt: #azkals on the backfoot in the first 6 mins. Bt defense looks stable.anton and rob centerbacks

à 8^th minute

            @cedelfpt: neil saves a glancing header from Yan Paing off a corner

à 9^th minute

            @cedelfpt: Myanmar’s first real chance.  Pai Soe 1-on-1 wd Neil, sends shot wide

à 11^th minute

            @cedelfpt: #azkals under real pressure. Another Pai Soe effort just wide

@cedelfpt: myanmar already has 4 chances.  They’ve been raiding flanks, esp right on gener’s side

à 14^th minute

            @cedelfpt: Pai Soe tests Neil again from 30 yards.  Easy save, still 0-0

            @cedelfpt: @DYANCASTILLEJO’s tweetdeck has stopped working

@craigburrows: Pai Soe shoots wide in a 1v1. Myanmar playing good football, come on #Azkals show your support Philippines!

            @cedelfpt: believe it or not, Chieffy Caligdong has yet to touch d ball

@craigburrows: Myanmar playing good football but Etheridge has kept them out.  Philippines look to counter and get a free kick, Myanmar clear

à 18^th minute

@cedelfpt: chieffy has touched the ball, albeit briefly.  Neil wd another save on header from Yang Paing

            @DYANCASTILLEJO: Neil saving many attempts

@craigburrows: Guirado is sent clear on the left wing, puts in an inviting cross but Myanmar defend well.  Lots of counter-attacking football

à 22^nd minute

@cedelfpt: chieffy wd steal bt touch to heavy, loses ball.  Angel (Guirado) wd cross bt no one gets touch on.  Still 0-0

@craigburrows: Greatwich brought down in the Azkals half.  Etheridge hits the freekick up and Guirado shows strength but Myanmar clear again

à 25^th minute

@cedelfpt: Pai Soe wd a cross, far post to Myo Min Tun wd a shot from 10 yards that goes wide.  0-0

@cedelfpt: its been a 1-way traffic for myanmar in first 25 min

@cedelfpt: Pai Soe again catches gener sleeping, another clear chance goes over d bar.

@craigburrows: Myanmar break and a cross is sent wide by MM Tun.  Myanmar get clear again and have a great chance but Pai Soe shoots over

à 30^th minute

@cedelfpt: Han Win Aun dispossessed by Chieffy again. Bt chance goes up in smoke,and Aung gets a jeers from home crowd.  0-0

            @DYANCASTILLEJO: Myanmar more than 7 attempts at goal boal

@craigburrows: Araneta gets through and has a chance but is called back for offside.  #Azkals moving forward now from a long defensive period

            @DYANCASTILLEJO: ball handling of myanmar very good getting through our defense

à 31^st minute

            @DYANCASTILLEJO: 31 minutes passed myanmar so many near goal…phils barely 2

à 32^nd minute

@cedelfpt: angel (Guirado) floats a dangerous cross after a 20-yard run wd stepovers. Great skill bt no 1 der to finish.

            @DYANCASTILLEJO: anghel (Guirado) had 1 from outside but too far…myanmar is fast

à 33^rd minute

@cedelfpt: no clear cut chance for #azkals yet

@DYANCASTILLEJO: anghel (Guirado) fighting for ball but lost it…ball mostly with myanmar but we’re trying

@DYANCASTILLEJO: thank GOD!!!!!another miss but almost goal so near…ball was high over goal corner now myanmar

@DYANCASTILLEJO: thank God another save by niel etheridge ball still with myanmar corner again for myanmar

à 35^th minute

@cedelfpt: gener beaten on right flank by d skipper Myo Min Tun, Ray clears dangerous cross. 0-0

à 36^th minute

@DYANCASTILLEJO: no goals…36 mins na 0-0

@cedelfpt: its a pity that phil and angel (Guirado) aren’t playing together should’ve been a great combination

@DYANCASTILLEJO: myanmar passing good,fast...calm oh no another one

à 39^th minute

@cedelfpt: james sends a low cross from right,but myanmar clears it

à 40^th minute

@DYANCASTILLEJO: 40 mins into game 0-0

à 41^st minute

@cedelfpt: myanmar’s wing play causing #azkals problems

à 43^rd minute

@DYANCASTILLEJO: 2 minutes to halftime

@philfootball: Couple more minutes before halftime

@DYANCASTILLEJO: players come to bench for water

@DYANCASTILLEJO: its very hot…players from -15 in Mongolia to +30 deg today…thats what sportsmen have to deal with

@cedelfpt: Yan Pain clutching his ankle. gets treatment. 1 additional minute injury time first half

@philfootball: +1 minute added time before halftime break

@cedelfpt: Myanmar free kick. Easily gathered. Halftime 0-0

2^nd Half

@DYANCASTILLEJO: 2^nd half just started

@philfootball: 2nd half!

@craigburrows: forgive the slow coverage, internet keeps crashing and blocking tweets.  Barseles replaces Araneta for the restart.

@DYANCASTILLEJO: @cedelfpt having connection problems. Half time change yanti (Barsales) for Ian (Araneta)

@craigburrows: back online and the game begins.  Both teams battling hard for the ball but lacking the final ball

@craigburrows: long throws have been dangerous all day but the Philippines clear and

have a penalty shoot denied.

@craigburrows: Borromeo cuts out a pass and the throw-in is cleared.  Myanmar shoot from distance but Etheridge watches it wide.

@craigburrows: #Azkals are more attackive minded now and put in a few crosses but they’re cleared.  Guirado chests down for James YH but saved.

@craigburrows: Pai Soe breaks again and puts in another cross.  Philippines clears and win a free kick in their half.  #Azkals more positive

@craigburrows: internet is holding up and chants run around the stadium.  H W Aung (DF) is replaced by S M OO (ST) – Myanmar look to attack.

@craigburrows: Pai Soe goes down the line and puts in a dangerous cross.  #Azkals clear and it’s a Myanmar throw.

@craigburrows: Cleared by the Phils and a long ball upfield is picked up by Myanmar who bring it forward.  Their attack filters out though.

à by this point, I think all three (@craigburrows, @DYANCASTILLEJO and @cedelfpt) have lost internet connection

à 65^th minute

@philfootball: 65^th min and still 0-0

à 72^nd minute

@philfootball: 72’ 0-0

à 73^rd minute

@philfootball: Red card for Myanmar 73’!

@craigburrows: spoke too soon about the internet.  After a gret 15 minutes it’s patchy again.  That means less updates I’m afraid.

à 76^th minute

@DYANCASTILLEJO: GOAL! Now Philippine 1-0 Myanmar

@philfootball: 76’ GOOOOOALLLLLL PHILIPPINES!!!

@PhilYHusband: Yes James!

@philfootball: 76’ GOAAALLLLL JAMES YOUNGHUSBAND!!!

@craigburrows: James Younghusband scores penalty!!!! 1-0 Philippines!!!!

à 81^st minute

@philfootball: 81’ MYA 0 v 1 PHILIPPINES. 1 red card for MYA. 76’ Goal for Philippines by James Younghusband @JHY53

à 85^th minute

@philfootball: 85’ still MYA 0 v 1 PHILIPPINES. A few more minutes before the final whistle!

à 88^th minute

@philfootball: 88’ MYA 0 v 1 PHILIPPINES!!!  Two more minutes guys!!!!!!!!!!!!!

à 90^th minute

@philfootball: 90’ MYA 0 v 1 PHILIPPINES! There might be a couple or three minutes of added time.

@PhilYHusband: Nooooooooooooo!

@philfootball: 90+’ MYA 1 v 1 PHILIPPINES!

@philfootball: FINAL SCORE MYA 1 v 1 PHILIPPINES

@PhilYHusband: 1-1 full time! :(

à 20 minutes after the game:

@craigburrows: internet issues but it’s back.  Myanmar score last minute equalizer.  FINAL SCORE: 1-1

@craigburrows: Sorry that we had problems with the internet.  Coach says it was a fair result.

@craigburrows: Absolutely exhausted and sorry to say photos are not good because of bright sunlight on one half shadow on the other

@craigburrows: Roy Moore was the star tweeting through the match.  I was photographer and not so good.

à 1 hour after the game

@cedelfpt: guys apologies for the non-tweets in 2^nd half. no connection.no tv coverage again on wed and fri

@anton_delro: Heartbreak! 1-1draw in the 90^th minute from a lucky free kick.  No bueno but we’ll keep on keepin’ on!  Game vs Palestine Wednesday!

@cedelfpt: same time game on wed and fri

@cedelfpt: Scorers: James Younghusband 76^th minute (PK) Khin Muang Lwin (90+2)


MATCH SUMMARY

UPDATE: check this link to see tweets from @DYANCASTILLEJO that were probably blocked or unposted because of the intermittent internet connection.  It explains how we got the Penalty Kick that scored our goal (poor Yanti Barsales... ouch!)