Azkals make history, beat Singapore 2-0

AZKALS CAPTAIN Chieffy Caligdong, one of the scorers against Singapore. File photo from Azkals official website

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Azkals made history by beating Singapore for the first time and on their home turf 2-0 on Friday, September 7.

In the second of a series of three FIFA-sanctioned international friendly games, the Azkals recovered from an initial shock when Singapore almost scored in the beginning at the Jurong West Stadium, packed full of Filipino fans cheering on their players.

Neil Etheridge was at the top of his game during the whole match and denied the Singaporean striker.

Electrifying start

In a blitzing start, captain Chieffy Caligdong received a ball on the counterattack in the 8th minute and after skirting past a defender scored with his bad right foot.

Although initially everyone thought his shot had been deflected by a defender, the replay showed that it was in fact a patch of grass that confused the keeper.

Singapore failed to recover from then and insisted on playing a stylish passing game that was interesting to watch but got them nowhere near Etheridge.

On the other side of the pitch, Phil Younghusband struggled to make an impact as sole striker but still managed to secure a few chances that he missed by just a few inches.

The trend continued into the second half.

Phil scores

In the 49th minute, Phil made it 2-0 after he controlled, stopped, dribbled and slotted the ball into the back of the net after a nice deep pass from Stephan Schrock.

The Azkals kept going and could have scored even more goals, but the Singaporean goalie denied them every time, while Etheridge kept the danger at bay at the other box.

Singapore tried their best but were unable to create anywhere near the opportunities the Azkals had for the Philippines to route the Lion City.

Next rival: Laos

After tonight’s win, the Philippine National Football Team will be full of confidence when the play Laos on Monday in the last stage of their three-game Asian tour.

Previously, the Azkals drew 0-0 with Cambodia.

All these friendlies are FIFA-sanctioned and are in preparation for the upcoming AFF Suzuki Cup 2012.

Immediately before the big tournament, the Azkals will play in the Philippine Football Peace Cup (formely Long Teng Cup) against Chinese Taipei, Guam and Macau at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila. – Rappler.com

Azkals help promote peace through football clinic

MANILA, Philippines – The Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) along with the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) and the Azkals kicked off the month of September through the 1Goal for Peace event Sunday, September 2 at the PhilSports Complex.

1Goal for Peace launched Peace Month by promoting football as a tool to spread peace throughout the country, starting with a football clinic led by the Azkals. Since 2004, September has been declared as the Peace Consciousness month, which aims to mainstream the peace process.

At the ceremonies, OPAPP Sec. Teresita Deles noted the need for unity and collective efforts among Filipinos as the main goal of resolving conflicts throughout the country.

“The time for peace is now. Together, let’s score a goal for peace,” Deles said in her speech. She also noted that the Azkals are champions of peace and have been invited to attend the “I am for Peace” campaign to be held at the Malacañang Palace on September 14.

“We welcome this with open arms and we want to help not just the President and the OPAPP but also the country,” said PFF Marketing and Communications headEbong Joson.

Inspiring children

Azkals midfielder Anto Gonzales also sees this as a great opportunity to set a good example to the children.

“It is a great opportunity to make a little difference for the kids. Them seeing the players in person, we hope we inspire them enough to watch the team play and from that realize that despite the differences and diversity in culture of the team, we play as one in the hope of inspiring our country,” Gonzales said.

In line with their efforts, the Azkals will be dedicating all of their matches in September in support of peace. They are set to face Cambodia on September 5, Singapore on September 7 and Laos on September 10. They also plan to continue teaching football throughout the month, which the players believe is a powerful avenue to pursue peace.

After the series of friendlies, they will cap of the month with the Paulino Alcantara Peace Cup to be held in the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium from September 25-29.

The series of matches also serves as the team’s preparation in the upcoming AFF Suzuki Cup where they are grouped with hosts Thailand, Vietnam and the winner of the qualifiers.

According to the OPPAP website, other activities planned for Septebber include a peace fair with the help of the People Power Volunteers for Reform (PPVR) and other non-governmental organizations which will gather Muslim and Christian kids, to allow them to interact and get to know each other.

Others include an “I Am For Peace” campaign with celebrities starting on September 14, KaPEACEtahan on September 21 which showcases peace process milestones, simultaneous “I Want Peace” Concerts on September 28 across the Philippines, a photo exhibit called “Peace Lens” and a golf tournament called “Teem up for Peace.” – Rappler.com