Palestine holds Philippine Azkals to goalless draw

MANILA, Philippines – The Palestinian Fighters held the Philippines Azkals to a goalless draw in their Challenge Cup group stage match in Yangon, Myanmar on Wednesday.

The Azkals struggled hard to get past the taller Palestinians, who dominated the first half of the game.

Filipino-Spanish player Angel Aldeguer Guirado, who took the place of injured striker Phil Younghusband, had the best scoring attempt for the Azkals in the 62nd minute, with his header saved by the Palestinian goalkeeper.

Chieffy Caligdong and Rob Gier also had near successes at the Palestinian goal.

The Fighters deployed a lone striker, 5-man midfield formation to block the Azkals' passing lanes.

The Palestinians' counter-attacks also caused problems for the Filipinos.

Their shots hit the crossbar several times, almost catching Azkals goalkeeper Neil Etheridge asleep.

It was a rough game for both squads, prompting Azkals coach Hans Michael Weiss to substitute 3 of his players near the end of the match.

Caligdong, who had a man-of-the match performance, limped out of the field in the 88th minutes.

The Azkals now have 2 points on 2 straight draws in the single-round qualifying series. The Filipinos earlier settled for a 1-1 draw against host nation Myanmar.

The Azkals will now have to secure a crucial win against Bangladesh on Friday to raise their total points to 5.

Palestine currently leads the group with 4 points on 1 win and 1 draw.

Myanmar currently has 1 point through the draw with the Azkals.

Bangladesh has no points yet. Myanmar and Bangladesh will also play on Wednesday.

ABS CBN News

Philippines 0-0 Palestine

Yangon: Palestine took a step closer to the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup on Wednesday when they drew 0-0 with the Philippines to remain undefeated after two of their three qualifying Group A matches.

The Palestinians, who reached the quarter-finals of the 2006 edition, came closest to breaking the deadlock at the Youth Training Centre Stadium with Murad Eleyan, scorer of both goals in his side’s 2-0 win over Bangladesh in their qualification campaign curtain-raiser, hitting the post in the 18th minute.

The Azkals, meanwhile, struggled to get into their stride with their best effort of the match coming in the 64th minute when skipper Emelio Caligdong saw his close-range effort blocked before the 28-year-old’s Philippines Air Force team-mate Yanti Basrales, a 59th minute substitute for Ian Araneta failed to convert the rebound.

The Philippines, who conceded a stoppage-time goal to draw 1-1 with Myanmar in their opening match, take on Bangladesh on Friday while Palestine face a tough finale against the Group A hosts.


afc.com

AFC Challenge Cup - Philippines 0-0 Palestine FT !!

AFC Challenge Cup match Palestine vs Philippines


Wednesday 23. March , 15.30 Local time (17.00 Philippines)


Livescore : futbol24 and spbolive

Twitter from Myanmar : DYANCASTILLEJO and CEDELFPT

Azkals in Myanmar ABS CBN News

Palestine : Palestine beat Bangladesh 2-0 in first match on Monday and will be qualified for finals with a win against Philippines.

Myanmar meet Bangladesh is second match on Wednesday at 18.00 Local time

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Update !!

Playing :
Etheridge, Gier, Del Rosario, J Younghusband, Borromeo, Aldeguer, Caligdong, S Greatwich, Araneta, Jonsson, Lucena

Subs: Gener, Barsales, Margarse, Sacapano, Sabio, Espinosa, Tuason

Not playing: Ferrer, Hinrichsen, Camcam, Basa, Becite




News and comments before , during and after the match ! Post in comments

17 booters impress coach in PFF Festival of Football

A TOTAL of 17 players impressed national coach Oliver Colina in the PFF Mindanao Festival of Football held at the Deca Homes Resort and Residences (DHRR) soccer field last March 18-20.

Darius Diamante, Javier Romero-Salas, Lorenzo Magno, Miguel Aquino, and Jake Bryan Ferolino of Davao City, as well as Agusan del Sur's Eric Pocon and North Cotabato's Mark Platon, Raymond Suano, Lawrence John Camiring, and Rene Boy Palabrica were among the top performers in the boys U13 class.


Janna Barcemo, Nina Ricci Yanto, Mary Joy Indac, Rheza Caminade, Ester Megami Vilela, Gabrielle del Fierro and Mica Corrales were selected to the girls U 14 training pool.

Davao Football Association (DFA) general secretary Erwin Protacio said the players will undergo another stage of the selection process for the national teams seeing action in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U13 Boys Festival of Football in Malaysia in May, and in the AFC U14 Girls Festival of Football in Vietnam in June.

Catalunan Grande's Yanto, Ateneo de Davao University's del Fierro and Barcemo formed part of the national team last year.


Butuan City and Sultan Kudarat also joined the festival at DHRR where participating teams received balls courtesy of the Japanese Football Association (JPA) during the opening rites.


Former Fifa referee Jaime Nicolau, meanwhile, conducted a two-day refresher's course to the officiating officials before the start of the festival that was held in cooperation with Department of Education, DHRR, Barangay Mintal, Barangay Tacunan, Mintal Police Station, 69th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army, Office of the City Mayor, Medvil Farms Inc., UP Mindanao, and Representative Isidro Ungab.


From Davao, the next selection is set on March 25 to 27 in San Carlos City, Negros Occidental.

Published in the Sun.Star Davao newspaper on March 23, 2011.

Baguio Football - Philex Pine Cup to see more teams this year

AT LEAST 16 teams in the men's open are expected to suit up as the Philex Pine Cup 2011 gets underway on April 9 to 12 at the Baguio Melvin Jones Football grounds.


The 11-a-side tournament in the four-day contest is expected to lure top football teams from all over the country while the ladies division has eight teams joining the fray in the competition hatched by the Baguio United Football Club.


Also joining are teams from the 18 and under division and the age group competition in the event in cooperation with City of Baguio, Department of Tourism-Cordillera sanctioned by the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) and the Baguio-Benguet Football Association (BBFA).



Entry fee for the men’s open, 18 and under and ladies open will be at P2,500 while the seven-a-side age group competitions will be at P1,000 per team.

Last year, the tournament also saw a two-day football clinic in the hopes of popularizing the sports and train would be football players in this part of the country.


Teams from as far as Tarlac, Uminggan, Pangasinan State U, Laguna, Manaoag, and Agoo suited up last year for the men's open division and boys 21 under category.


This year, more teams are expected to join the tournament as it hopes to bring in a more competitive level of football not only in the city but all over the country as well.

FIFA rules will also apply in the tournament unless specifically provided by the tournament rules according to organizers.

Tournament format will be a single round robin match with the top four in every division advancing to the semis. All games in the semis and finals will be 45 minutes long while elimination games last for 30 minutes.


The Men’s 18 Under and the Ladies Open will see action starting April 9 while the age group tournament will be from April 11 to 12.

Interested teams who wish to join the tournament may send an e-mail to baguio united@gmail.com for invitation packet. (Roderick Osis)


Published in the Sun.Star Baguio newspaper on March 23, 2011.

Azkals hope to rise above draw, tackle Palestine

Cedelf P. Tupas


RANGOON— A Philippine team slowly finding fluidity in its play faces a formidable Palestine side considered a heavy favorite in the AFC Challenge Cup group stage qualifying here.


Kickoff is at 3:30 p.m. (5 p.m. in the Philippines) at the Thuwana Stadium with the Azkals looking to build on their superb second-half performance in the 1-1 draw against host Myanmar.


The draw still stings for the Azkals, considering that Myanmar managed to sneak in a “lucky goal” in the final minute of injury time.


But skipper Aly Borromeo and team manager Dan Palami challenged the Azkals to forget about the result and shift their attention to Palestine, which debut impressively in a 2-nil drubbing of Bangladesh.


A victory will put the Azkals in prime position to gain one of the two spots staked for the main tournament next year.


Palestine is on top of the group with three points, while the Philippines in Myanmar share second with a point each.


“Palestine will be very difficult,” said Azkals coach Hans Michael Weiss, who considered the Azkals lucky to have escaped with a draw against Myanmar.


A loss could put the Azkals in danger of another exit from the qualifying tournament, like three years ago in Iloilo City. The Azkals will still face Bangladesh on Friday.


Although the Azkals have not played Palestine, several players watched the opening minutes of the Palestine-Bangladesh duel Monday and expressed confidence that they can overcome the Middle East team.


“Palestine will be the most difficult game in the group,” goalkeeper Neil Etheridge told the Inquirer.


“They will be a big challenge mentally and physically but we have a good chance of winning against them.”


Boosting the Azkals’ chances is the arrival of Filipino-Danish player Jerry Lucena, who will finally make his debut for his father’s country, after playing for Denmark at the youth level.


With Lucena’s arrival, the starting XI could change again for the Azkals with Borromeo returning to his centerback position beside Rob Gier after playing the defensive midfield against Myanmar.


Lucena could pair up with Simon Greatwich, whose passing and tackling proved crucial for the Azkals in the second half against Myanmar, in the holding midfield position.


Anton del Rosario, who played centerback last Monday, will return to rightback behind James Younghusband, while Ray Jonsson will play behind Chieffy Caligdong again at the left.


Yanti Barsales, who made an impact as a second-half substitute, has been given the go-signal to play despite the bruises on his chest and the cuts near his jaw following an ugly tackle from the Myanmar keeper.


Angel Aldeguer Guirado, who dazzled the crowd here with his skill and pace, skipped training Tuesday but is expected to make another start.


Palestine, Borromeo said, plays a more direct game and the Azkals could counter this by playing more on the ground.


“Palestine looks the more physical and formidable side. We can’t be too overaggressive,” said Borromeo. “I think we can play on the ground and combine well to beat them.”


Borromeo said getting their rhythm early will be key, unlike what happened against Myanmar where they struggled to settle in the first half.


“We want to make sure we continue where we left off in the second half of the Myanmar game,” said Palami. “We have developed a very good passing game as shown against Myanmar. It’s just really about putting ourselves on that mode early in the game.”


Palami added: We should get over the draw. I think it's important we get the three points against Palestine so we could be more relaxed against Bangladesh on Friday.”


Inquirer.net

PFF list of players to AFC

PFF list of 48 players sent to AFC , where they picked 23 players to represent Azkals in group stage in Myanmar.

1 ETHERIDGE NEIL LEONARD DULA 1 GK
2 CAMCAM CHRISTOPHER NICHOLAS JOAQUIN 20 GK
3 SACAPANO EDUARD ORTALLA 22 GK
4 JOSE PAOLO ARAGON PASCUAL 44 GK
5 NICHOLAS MICHAEL O'DONNELL 49 GK
6 GIER ROBERT JAMES 2 DF
7 BARBASO JERRY I SARDUA 3 DF
8 DEL ROSARIO ANTON EDWARD QUIMSON 4 DF
9 BORROMEO ALEXANDER CHARLES LUIS 11 DF
10 PALMES REY MARK LAVADIA 15 DF
11 BERMEJO JOEBEL BRETANA 25 DF
12 RELUCIO KRISTOPHER JOHN MANSUETO 28 DF
13 DAVID MARK SANDING BASA 32 DF
14 DENNIS MENGOY CAGARA 35 DF
15 JACQUES TAPANGCO VAN BOSSCHE 48 DF
16 AHMED ISLAM BARZO 5 MF
17 GENER ROEL JIMENA 6 MF
18 YOUNGHUSBAND JAMES JOSEPH PLACER 7 MF
19 GREATWICH CHRISTOPHER ROBERT BARBON 8 MF
20 YOUNGHUSBAND PHILIP JAMES PLACER 10 MF
21 ANGEL GUIRADO NIEVES ALDEGUER 12 MF
22 FERRER MARK ANTHONY GOCON 14 MF
23 JOHN PATRICK PAMARAN HINRICHSEN 16 MF
24 DE JONG JASON NICOLAS MARIA DANTES 17 MF
25 GREATWICH SIMON CLIVE 18 MF
26 MARGARSE NESTORIO JR BRAGA 19 MF
27 JAUGAN PETER SORILLA 21 MF
28 OLIVER ANDREAS LOTHAR POTSCHKE 24 MF
29 SABIO JASON ABBOTT ABANTAO 26 MF
30 JONSSON RAY ANTHONY PEPITO 27 MF
31 JERRY RUBEN LUCENA 29 MF
32 STEPHAN MARKUS SCHROCK 30 MF
33 AARON MANACHO ALTICHE 31 MF
34 BRAUNER HENRY GEORGE VALENCIA 34 MF
35 DORLAS BONGBONG ROXY VESTIDAS 36 MF
36 JOHN ALBERT DUMARAOS FRIAS 39 MF
37 WALTER ALONTE JAMES HALL 40 MF
38 MUIR RYAN ALONTE HALL 41 MF
39 MARK ANDREW HARTMANN 42 MF
40 MANUEL GELITO OTT 43 MF
41 YANNICK PASCAL REYES TUASON 46 MF
42 NATHANIEL PAYOS BURKEY 50 MF
43 BARSALES YANTI ARMENTIA 9 FW
44 CALIGDONG EMELIO ASADA 13 FW
45 ARANETA IAN BAYONA 23 FW
46 BECITE RICARDO III BATAYOLA 33 FW
47 WILLIAM ESPINOSA 37 FW
48 PATRICK GERRY ANTHONY REICHELT 45 FW

Davao Football - WTFM edges Medvil

JOVEN Benitez's goal in the 85th lifted WTFM to a 1-0 win over Medvil in the resumption of the Ebocci-Davao Premiere League at the Tionko football grounds on Sunday afternoon.


With the win, WT-FM grabbed the solo lead of the team standings with a total of nine points for its three wins, zero draw and one loss record.

Medvil (0-3-1) dropped to fourth place with three points.

In an earlier game, Columbia hacked out a 5-3 win over Kapisanang Magkaibigan Multi-Purpose Cooperative (KMMPC).

Francisco Iligan scored a hattrick for Columbia, finding the net in the 43rd, 68th and 82nd minutes. His teammates Absser Tadtokasan and Aldin Taborin added one goal each.

KMMPC scored on the goals of Jestoni Felipe (21st), Ian Jay Sonza (61st) and Amon Casimiro (76th).


The semifinal matches are set Sunday with WT-FM playing Medvil at 2 p.m. and Columbia (2-1-1) going up ahainst Hooligans (2-1-1).


At stake for the champion is the right to represent the city to the Southern Mindanao cluster of PFF-Smart Club Championships next month. (MLSA)


Published in the Sun.Star Davao newspaper on March 22, 2011.