Azkals start Mission Do-Or-Die in Dubai

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines lets loose the Azkals in the biggest stage this side of the world, the AFC Asian Cup, “dreaming the impossible” as their battlecry goes, as they try to bite a piece of the spotlight against more established football sides beginning with tonight’s opener against fancied Korea Republic.

Minnows in the region for the longest time, the Pinoy booters seek a productive debut in the Continental showpiece at the 5:30 p.m. fixture at Al-Maktoum Stadium in Dubai (9:30 p.m. in Manila) versus no less than one of the favorites not only to top Group C but to win the tournament.

But despite the overwhelming odds, the wards of seasoned coach Sven Goran Eriksson stay confident in their ambitious bid of hurdling the group that also includes China and Kyrgyz Republic and rewriting history by progressing to the knockout stages.

“We hope we can go through to the second stage of such a big competition. We know it’s very difficult as we start against one of the toughest opponents, South Korea on Monday,” Eriksson said in a report on Gulf News. “The challenge is huge but I am confident that we can stick together and go about achieving this.”

The Taeguk Warriors, the highest-ranked side in the group at 53rd in the world, are hot on the heels of a seven-match unbeaten streak under Portuguese coach Paulo Bento and still high from their triumph at the Asian Games and massive upset of holder Germany in the last Fifa World Cup.

Although star Son Heung-min won’t be suiting up against Phl as he remains with Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur, the Koreans still boast of a powerhouse cast led by Ki Sung Yeung of Newcastle, Bundesliga players Ji Dong Won and Koo Ja-Cheol of FC Augsburg, and Hwang Hee-Chan of Hamburg.

So the brave Phl crew led by Stephan Schrock, Phil Younghusband, Manny Ott and Daisuke Sato expect to have their hands full in stopping the Korean strike force and in breaking down their defense.

“My advice to the team is they should enjoy themselves as this is the first time they are playing in such a big tournament,” said Eriksson. “I think that if they can stand up to the other teams, starting with South Korea, we can have the possibility of advancing to the knockout stages.”

The debuting Azkals lean on the strong Filipino community in the UAE – there’s an estimated 600,000 of them – to be their “12th man.”

“As players and as a team, we know having great attendance of Filipinos in the games adds confidence and pushes us to do our best,” Younghusband told Dubai-based The Filipino Times. “Hopefully they can be at the games because we need all the support we can get. Coming against these strong teams, the fans will give us confidence.”