This appears in the Monday, March 5, 2012 edition of the Business Mirror.
Coming up
close: the Philippines’ 1-1 draw with Malaysia
by rick olivares pics by brosi gonzales and jp manahan
The defending Suzuki Cup champions dug
themselves out of what was close to becoming a graveyard for Malaysian football
teams past and present. And International Friendly or not, the Malaysians’
Manila nightmare was almost complete.
Last Friday night, the Tigers’
chartered bus got stuck in the horrendous traffic jam that clogged the
metropolis’ thoroughfares. The Harimau Tigers sat inside the bus for hours
before finally deciding to hoof it back to their hotel along Roxas Boulevard.
They braved Manila’s streets as they were swarmed with the crowd leaving the
religious gathering along Roxas Boulevard that caused all the traffic in the
first place. Not only were they in the midst of the tired and hungry masses
eager to get home as well but also possibly the scum of snatchers and
pickpockets looking for some unlikely victim. They did make it back safely, but
it was a harrowing experience. And now on the pitch, experimental team or not,
the Malaysians were being outplayed by their upstart neighbors.
That is until late substitute Ahmad
Shakir Mohd Ali finished off a pass by Mohd Afee Sali to snatch a 1-1- draw
from the jaws of defeat at the hands of the Philippines last night at the Rizal
Memorial Football Stadium. And in the 90th minute! Metallica’s
“Enter Sandman”, the song that was played immediately after the ’91 win over
the Tigers, never blared from the speakers.
Fil-German striker Dennis Wolf played
the part of undertaker when put the Philippines ahead in the 34th
minute with a header off a brilliant throw in by Jason Sabio inside the
Malaysian box. Tigers defender Asraruddin Omar tried to head away Sabio’s throw
in but he missed the ball that Wolf deftly flicked past goal keeper Mohd
Farizal Marlias.
Even as the visitors turned the game
around by finally asserting control of the midfield in the 53rd
minute, the home side was very close to handing the Tigers a loss in the very
same stadium where the Philippines beat them, 1-0, during the 1991 Sea Games.
How
did Wolf’s goal come about?
The defensive line of Ray Jonsson,
Juani Guirado, Jason Sabio, and Carli de Murga held fast. And when the ball did
get past them, Neil Etheridge reminded everyone why he is the number one keeper
for the national squad by snatching Malaysian crosses in a single bound.
The defense didn’t simply kick the
ball out of harm’s way. They managed to get the ball to Angel Guirado, Lexton
Moy, and James Younghusband who in turn fed Phil Younghusband and Wolf a
heaping helping of scoring chances. And Guirado had a number of great attempts (including a sensation shot that hit the cross bar and a bicycle kick that went straight to Tigers' keeper Mohd Farizal Marlias).
The team had the Malaysians
backpedalling as they oft won the first ball, outfought the midfielders for
possession and sent a bunch of shots towards Marlias who
was one of those players who were a part of the successful 2009 SEA Games
champions that began Malaysia’s current dominance in the region.
The Azkals got a number of free kicks
from just around the box and incredibly were winning the aerial battle for
headers. The height of Guirado, the Younghusbands, and Wolf surely helped in
that respect.
And if those free kicks weren’t enough
of a danger, Jason Sabio’s throw-in can be categorized almost as one because of
the distance he throws it and its accuracy. He did that before when he set up
Kaya teammate Nate Burkey for a goal during a UFL Cup match last year against
Diliman.
This time, the ball found its way to
Wolf after Tigers defender was unable to head the ball away. But Wolf’s header
was on target.
What
turned the game around for Malaysia?
That began in the 53rd
minute when Malaysia kept the ball inside their attacking half for a good
number of minutes before the Philippines was finally able to go on the counter
attack.
Unlike in the first half where the
build-ups were better, this time the Azkals got their chances through swift
counter attacks.
The Malaysians assumed control of the
midfield and began to make their runs from the middle where they could distribute
the ball to either flank. Head coach K Rajagopal also made crucial
substitutions such as the introduction of regular starting keeper Norazalan
Razali in the 76th minute and Amhmad Shakir Ali that proved
brilliant.
And they showed why they have been the
winners of every major competition around southeast Asia aside from the game
being played all the way to the final whistle. Plus, they adjusted to a really
bad pitch.
Forward Safee Sali found Ali who was
able to weave his way past Juani Guirado and lastly Jason Sabio before beating
Neil Etheridge who was magnificent at goal.
Were
the substitutions by the Philippines our folly?
Not at all. I was surprised that Angel
Guirado went out earlier than expected but Misagh Bahadoran is not a bad sub. It
was a move to win back that midfield.
Carli de Murga had been battling a bum
stomach for a few days and wasn’t at his best just yet.
The Philippines played very well.
Malaysia, whether they tried new players or not, played to win.
Late game equalizers happen. It’s also
the nature of the game. Chris Greatwich’s late header for the 1-1 equalizer
against Singapore in the 2010 Suzuki Cup is one such example.
So
where to after this match?
In the pre-match press conference,
both Coach K and Coach Mike spoke of how this game will show how far we’ve come
with all the preparations and heading into the AFC Cup and Challenge Cup
(respectively) that are right before the Suzuki Cup. It is a gauge, a barometer
if you will. And I say both teams came up aces.
We
looked good, something that I have not felt since the World Cup Qualifiers of
last year. And this is a good game to build on. The pre-match confidence was great. We played great
and were unlucky to concede a late goal for an equalizer but to do this against
the champions of the region – hey, I like it.
Now imagine this – Wolf and Phil
Younghusband up front. James Younghusband, Angel Guirado, Chieffy Caligdong,
and Stephan Shrock in the middle. And Ray Jonsson, Carli de Murga, Aly
Borromeo, and Jason Sabio in the back. And Neil Etheridge at goal.
And you have to find a place for Paul
Mulders, Roland Muller, Manny Ott, Lexton Moy, Juani Guirado, Rob Gier, Joshua
Beloya, Ian Araneta, and a few others. Now that is a good problem.
Keep that team intact for a while and
the team will get better (of course, that is easier said than done). And maybe
then, pitches across Southeast Asia (at first) as well as the Rizal Memorial
Football Stadium will become graveyards for opposing teams.
The Kaholeros were finally in form last night. Good job, guys. And K Rajagopal was not only brilliant but eloquent as well. I had several opportunities to talk with Coach K in these last two days and one of those that we spoke about was the Liverpool-Malaysia match of late last year. When Coach K stepped on to the pitch of the Bukit Jalil Stadium (while the Liverpool players were walking about some two hours before the match, the place exploded in cheers for the home side's coach). It made my hair stand up to see the home crowd give their head coach a salute like that. Coach K waved his hands and the Liverpool players were pleasantly happy to see such a scene). Coach K and I spoke about that and he was happy that I was there to see that. Before the match, we spoke for some 10 minutes on the Tigers' bench about regional football and it was a pleasure to be able to do that.
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Want to thank the following for the past few days: Dan Palami, Michael Weiss, Rob Gier, Ray Jonsson, Chieffy Caligdong, Angel Guirado, Lexton Moy, Neil Etheridge, the Local Organizing Committee, and the fine folks at the Discovery Suites.
