Hits and misses

By Artchil B. Fernandez

The ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Cup, the most popular sports tournament in Southeast Asia resumed after it was suspended last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.  The 2020 edition of the biennial competition was held in the last month of 2021 to close the year.

Since the “Miracle of Hanoi” in 2010, the Philippine Azkals, the men’s national football team of the country has been a strong contender in the Suzuki Cup reaching the semi-finals four times.  It is a record performance for the former whipping boy in the region.

This year’s edition of the AFF Suzuki Cup was hosted by Singapore and the home and away format of the competition was eliminated for health reasons. All matches were played in the host country with limited audience following pandemic protocols.

With travel restrictions and the suspension of team sports for most part of the year with the pandemic still raging, it was quite a feat for the Philippines to cobble together a team for the 2020 version of the Suzuki Cup.  Most veterans of the national team like Niel Etheridge, Luke Woodland, and Carli de Murga were absent from national duty.

Missing veteran players implies opportunities for new faces to step forward and assume the mantle. Giving chances to fresh players to flex their muscles and gain exposure bode well for the future of the national team but it is a risky move going into a tough and competitive regional tournament like the Suzuki Cup.  The gamble produced some significant hits but also disappointing misses for the Azkals.

The Azkals were bracketed in Group A composed of Singapore, Thailand, Myanmar, and Timor-Leste. The Azkals had a better chance of getting out of this group than had they been under Group B comprising Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, and Vietnam. But the Philippines failed to capitalize on this.

First game of the Azkals was against the host. It was a crucial game, and a win will give either side an early advantage. Playing a 4-2-3-1 formation against the Lions, the first half saw a see-saw battle between the two teams. Both teams were on attacking mode but failed to make headway. A nil draw ended the first half.

Tragedy struck in the second half when the Azkals conceded two goals within two minutes (62^nd and 64^th minutes). Five minutes later, the Philippines scored courtesy of Amin Nazari who was also making his Azkal debut. An equalizer eluded the Azkals until the final whistle. Singapore won 2-1. The loss placed the Azkals in a precarious position. It made their survival in the group stage difficult.

Next game against Timor-Leste uplifted the spirit of the Azkals. Significant hits were made by the Azkals in the match against the Sol Nascente. The Azkals repeated their 7-0 drubbing of Timor-Leste in 2008. Bienvenido Marañon made his first goal (45+1) in his second cap. Six other Azkals also scored including Jesper Nyholm (45^th min.) who was also making his debut in the national team in that game. The other Azkals who scored were Martin Stueble (21^st min.), Amin Nazari (34^th min), Angel Guirado (36^th min.), Patrick Reichelt (40^th min.) and Kevin Ingreso (76^th min.).

The win against Timor-Leste kept the hope of the Azkals to enter the semi-finals alive. They also made a statement in that game – they are still a team to reckon with in the tournament.

Playing against the heavily favored Thailand in their third match is a huge challenge to the Azkals. The War Elephants came into the game with two wins and no loss. The four-time champion Thais had a 1-1 draw with the Azkals in the 2018 edition of Suzuki Cup.

The War Elephants dominated ball position in the match.  Playing a 3-4-2-1 formation, the Azkals held their ground but in the 26^th minute the War Elephants broke through the defense with a goal. First half ended with Thailand ahead, 1-0.

Second half saw an aggressive War Elephants in search of an insurance goal. However, the Azkals saw an opportunity in the 57^th minute with Patrick Reichelt scoring the much-needed equalizer. That goal buoyed the spirit of the Azkals and bolstered their chances to get out of the group stage.  This was the biggest hit of the Azkals.

Fifteen minutes after the equalizer, the Azkals had their biggest miss. A penalty was awarded to Thailand in the 72^nd minute. It was a hugely controversial decision since clearly no foul was committed. In the absence of VAR (video assistant referee), there was no way to contest the highly questionable decision of the referee. The penalty was converted by the War Elephants putting them once again in the driver’s seat.

Despite the heroic attempts of the Azkals, their hunt for an equalizer failed. The game ended in a 2-1 win for the War Elephants and the Azkals were eliminated from the competition.

Last game against Burma (Myanmar) no longer had a bearing on the standing of the Azkals but it gave them a chance to exit from the tournament with a bang. The man of the match was undisputedly Marañon who scored his first hat trick for the Azkals. His goals in the 16^th, 19^th, and 45^th minutes are clear statements why he is the top scorer in the AFC Cup with 35 goals. The second half however saw the Azkals conceding two goals to the White Angels. It was the first time Burma scored goals against the Philippines since 2004. The match closed with a win for the Azkals, 3-2.

The Azkals may have exited from 2020 Suzuki Cup early, but their participation is part of their preparation for the third round of qualification for 2023 AFC Asian Cup and the 2022 Suzuki Cup. It also provided exposure to other debutants like Oskari Kekkonen and Sandro Reyes and solidified Kevin Hansen’s reliability as a keeper. They also had their highest score ever in the Suzuki Cup, 12 goals. There are hits and misses but that is the nature of football, the beautiful game.