Azkals give fans a beautiful game

MANILA, Philippines - However stronger and competitive they have become the past six months, the mission of posting a king-size upset over 10-time Gulf Kuwait last night might have been too much of a “miracle” to ask for the Azkals.

“Less than a year ago, we were playing Hong Kong’s Under-23 squad and we lost 4-2. I think from that time up to now, we have faced a lot of countries and we saw the growth of the team, how the team has been strengthened by a new system and new players,” said Azkals team manager Dan Palami.

“I think it was too much of a miracle, I supposed, that we’re asking. But it’s a miracle all the same because we dished off a good performance and we posed problems to a strong nation like Kuwait,” he added.

Meanwhile, Malacañang lauded yesterday the bravery of the Azkals, confident that while the country’s football team lost to Kuwait, they would be able to “bounce back” in the future.

“We congratulate them on the heart and the bravery that our team showed. They really showed the world that we have the capability to excel in this field. And we know that this will not be the end for them,” deputy Presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said.

“This may be the end of the campaign for this year but certainly, we know and we are confident that our team will bounce back,” she added. “Let’s just continue to throw our support to our athletes, not just with the Azkals, but all of our Filipino athletes who have been working very hard to win and give pride and honor to our country.”

The Azkals (162nd in the world) came close to pulling one over the No. 95 Al Azraq when they seized a 1-0 lead halfway through the second match of their 2014 FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifiers.

But the highly regarded Kuwaitis, playing one-man down, bullied their way around in the final 45 minutes to prick the Filipinos’ bubble, 2-1. Counting their 3-0 triumph in the first leg, Al Azraq won the series on aggregate, 5-1, for a third-round berth.

“I think we were more compact today, except when you play a team like Kuwait that’s really world-class, you really get to pay for your mistakes. On the few occasions that we had those mistakes, they took advantage of it and scored a goal, whereas when we had the opportunity, we missed those chances,” Palami said.

After this campaign, the Azkals still have new grounds to break in future tournaments, including the AFC Challenge Cup in 2012 and the next World Cup qualifiers in 2015.

“2018 World Cup – that has also been goal, to be able to get into that final round. Slowly, we have to get there, slowly we have to rebuild the team, but it will take a while,” Palami said.

“You can see the difference (in Kuwait match). I mean, if you combine all the caps of Aly (Borromeo) and the rest of our players, it won’t be enough compared to one Kuwait player who has more than 100 caps. But we’ll get there, slowly but for as long as the steps are taken towards the right direction,” he added.

Even coach Michael Weiss sees a bright prospect for his developing side.

“We’ll go better places. In a few years maybe we’ll beat Kuwait,” he said before he called it a night.

Notes: The scene was surreal that Palami and his brave band came too close to tears when they did their walk-through around the Rizal Stadium oval Thursday night. “Marami sa amin ang naiiyak (Most of us were teary-eyed). Maybe people might have thought this was because we lost but no, it was mixed emotion. Despite the setback, fans continued to show their love for the team. This is what I love about football, for as long as the fans see you’re giving it all you have, fighting and hoping to make a difference until the last whistle, they’ll be behind you,” Palami said.