Source: Daily Inquirer
ULAN BATOR—Buoyed by its first leg victory and an early goal, the Philippines advanced to the group qualifying stage of theAFC Challenge Cup despite a 1-2 defeat to Mongolia Tuesday.
The Azkals advanced after winning 3-2 on aggregate, but not before surviving intense pressure from the Mongolians in a match played at temperatures ranging -5 to -7 degrees Celsius.
The Filipinos came into the game holding a 2-nil cushion, but as promised, they refused to sit on that lead as James Younghusband opened the scoring with a close-range strike in the 4th minute.
But the Azkals lost their grip of the game and from a set piece, the Mongolians equalize through skipper Lumbengarav Donorov in the 22nd minute.
Growing in confidence, the Mongolians finally went ahead 10 minutes later as Garidmagnai Bayasgalan followed up his saved penalty to beat Azkals stand-in keeper Eduard Sacapano.
With the victory, the Azkals advanced to the group qualifying starting March 21 in Rangoon, Myanmar. There, the Azkals will play Myanmar, Bangladesh and Palestine with the top two teams making the eight-team final tournament next year.
The Azkals advanced after winning 3-2 on aggregate, but not before surviving intense pressure from the Mongolians in a match played at temperatures ranging -5 to -7 degrees Celsius.
The Filipinos came into the game holding a 2-nil cushion, but as promised, they refused to sit on that lead as James Younghusband opened the scoring with a close-range strike in the 4th minute.
But the Azkals lost their grip of the game and from a set piece, the Mongolians equalize through skipper Lumbengarav Donorov in the 22nd minute.
Growing in confidence, the Mongolians finally went ahead 10 minutes later as Garidmagnai Bayasgalan followed up his saved penalty to beat Azkals stand-in keeper Eduard Sacapano.
With the victory, the Azkals advanced to the group qualifying starting March 21 in Rangoon, Myanmar. There, the Azkals will play Myanmar, Bangladesh and Palestine with the top two teams making the eight-team final tournament next year.
An askal is a Filipino term for any dog with no pedigree, no breed, no class. The askal is usually astray, unsupported and survives by feeding on whatever provision it can find. The Filipino national football team can relate to this mongrel, they have almost no support from a government thats suppose to support them, they are underdogs not just only to the world but even in their own region, South East Asia.
Name: Angel Guirado Aldeguer
Stephan Schröck - nicknamed "Schröcky", is a German–Filipino professional footballer who plays as a right back for 2nd Bundesliga club SpVgg Greuther Fürth.
