PH Azkals open World Cup qualifying campaign with impressive 2-1 win over Bahrain

by Karlo Sacamos

BOCAUE, Bulacan – This Azkals team is for real.

Fielding what is regarded as the strongest squad ever assembled, the Philippine men’s football lived up to the hype as it stunned a fancied Bahrain side, 2-0, for an auspicious start to its Fifa World Cup Qualifiers campaign on Thursday night at the Philippine Stadium.

The Azkals buckled down defensively to hold the Bahrainis scoreless in the first half, before turning up their offense behind goals by Misagh Bahadoran and Javier Patiño early in the second half to score the shutout victory before a compact, but loud partisan crowd at the 20,000-seat venue.

New recruits Stephan Palla and Iain Ramsay were also good as advertised, Phil Younghusband thrived in a midfield role, while returnee Neil Etheridge shone as the last line of defense that not even a late goal by the Bahrainis could dampen the win.

“It was team effort today,” Azkals coach Thomas Dooley said. “I’m very happy of the result. We worked so hard and nobody had a bad day.”

It was a remarkable result for the Filipino booters, who the Bahrainis had mastered in their previous meetings, the most recent a 2-1 decision in their friendly last March in the Middle East country.

“I was always saying that somehow we will pull off surprises in this round and I’m happy that we pulled off one tonight,” said team manager Dan Palami, whose 137th-ranked squad is placed 31 spots below Bahrain in the world rankings.

The Azkals have little time to rest as they fly to Qatar on Friday ahead of face their next match in Group H against Yemen on June 16 at the Qatar Sports Club in Doha.

One dampener was an early injury to Stephan Schrock as the midfield dynamo came off in the 23rd minute to be replaced by Bahadoran, who repaid Dooley’s faith.

The Filipino-Iranian winger provided the spark off the bench five minutes into the second half when he flicked a cross from Younghusband.

Nine minutes later, Patiño struck off the rebound from a shot off a left-side corner as the Azkals held the fort from there until Bahrain sneaked in an inconsequential goal four minutes into stoppage time by Abdulwahab Al Malood. 

http://www.spin.ph/football/azkals/news/world-cup-qualifiers-bahrain-misagh-bahadoran-javier-pati#rkKrCIGgPIBI121s.99

A lot riding on Azkals performance for Etheridge, 2 other standouts

BOCAUE, Bulacan—For Philippine Azkals stalwarts Neil Etheridge, Luke Woodland and Iain Ramsay, there’s plenty riding on the first two games of the Philippines in the World Cup Qualifiers with regards to their club careers.

While the three players are expected to figure prominently for the Azkals in their matches against Bahrain and Yemen on Tuesday, there’s a cloud of uncertainty where they’ll play club football next season.

Etheridge’s contract has yet to be renewed by  Charlton Athletic  after spending the first five months of the year playing for the English Championship side.

“I think if I can prove that I’m the No. 1 goalkeeper for this team, I can get the approval of other clubs here in Asia and in Europe,” said the former Fulham standout. “I’m open to playing outside England as long as I can get games.”

Ramsay was released by Australian League side Melbourne FC last month. And the Fil-Aussie isn’t ruling out the possibility of playing his club football elsewhere in Asia.

“I’ve been in the A-League for six years and other players are leaning towards playing in Asia and I’m open to that,” said Ramsay. “But my focus and commitment at the moment is to do well for the Azkals.”

Woodland’s contract with Bolton will expire in July. The midfielder spent last season on loan at English League One side Oldham Athletic.

“It helps that I’m playing in the World Cup Qualifiers but at the end of the day I’m just excited to represent the Philippines,” said the 19-year-old Woodland. Up until kickoff last night, Woodland’s status was uncertain as he needed clearance from Fifa for switching from England to the Philippines. Woodland played in the Under-16, Under-17 and Under-18 teams of England.

Read more: http://sports.inquirer.net/184011/a-lot-riding-on-azkals-performance-for-etheridge-2-other-standouts#ixzz3cn5EjYPP

YouTube : Philippines vs Bahrain: 2018 FIFA WC Russia & AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 (Qly RD 2)

Update about Phil Younghusband and Luke Woodland

"Well, it’s been a bit of a tumultuous morning for Philippine football fans, but this is what we've gathered so far:

Sources inside the PFF have confirmed that Phil Younghusband is registered to play in today’s match against Bahrain. It seems it was a simple clerical error on the AFC’s part to click on James Joseph Younghusband instead of Philip James Younghusband.

Luke Woodland is still waiting on FIFA Players Status Committee clearance to be able to play. The clearance is a requirement by the AFC, especially in the case of an individual who has played for another country's youth team. Woodland previously played for England's under 16, under 17, and under 18 squads.

It looks like Woodland's case may be a match-time decision."

https://www.facebook.com/football.com.ph/posts/687925724672890?fref=nf

FIFA World Cup qualifier Today : Philippines 2-1 Bahrain FT

FIFA World Cup qualifier

Philippines vs Bahrain

Time : 8 pm

Venue : Philippine Sports Stadium in Bocaue

Tv : ABS CBN Sports & Action Ch 23 and Balls HD 167



Azkals starting XI against Bahrain :

Etheridge , Gier , Palla, Ramsay , Ott , Phil Y, Sato, Schrock, Lucena, Patino, Steuble

Luke Woodland is not in the official squad list.

23 mins Stephan Schrock out , Misagh Bahadoran in
0-0 HT
1-0 Misagh Bahadoran , Philippines!
59 mins 2-0 Javier Patino , Philippines
Palla out , Guiraso in
Gier out , Rota in
2-1  FT

Yellow card : Stephan Palla

Attendance : 6000

http://www.the-afc.com/competition/fifa-world-cup

Azkals players missing from AFC official squad list

AFC released  Wednesday squad list for FIFA World Cup qualifier between Philippines and Bahrain.


Why are Phil Younghusband and Luke Woodland missing in the Azkals squad list ?

James Younghusband is added on the AFC squad list .



http://www.the-afc.com/afcasfeeds?view=all&id=169&type=Stage#ui-tabs-2 (click on Philippines on June 11 match)

Goalkeepers
No.	Name
1	NEIL LEONARD ETHERIDGE
15	TOMAS TRIGO
16	PATRICK DEYTO

Defenders
No.	Name
2	ROBERT JAMES GIER
3	STEPHAN PALLA
4	SIMONE ROTA
5	JUAN GUIRADO
10	JAMES JOSEPH YOUNGHUSBAND
11	SATO DAISUKE
12	AMANI MANUEL SANTOS AGUINALDO
13	DENNIS VILLANUEVA
22	KENSHIRO DANIELS

Midfields
No.	Name
7	IAIN RAMSAY
8	MANUEL OTT
9	MISAGH BAHADORAN
14	KEVIN INGRESO
19	JERRY RUBEN LUCENA
21	MARTIN STEUBLE

Forwards
No.	Name
17	STEPHAN MARKUS SCHROCK
18	PATRICK ALCALA REICHELT
20	JAVIER PATINO
23	MARK HARTMANN

If you click on Philippines on June 16 match against Yemen you will find the preliminary squad . 66 players !

Goalkeepers
No.	Name
0	FLORENCIO JR GAMBA BADELIC
0	PATRICK DEYTO
0	NEIL LEONARD ETHERIDGE
0	MULLER
0	NICHOLAS MICHAEL O'DONNELL
0	TOMAS TRIGO
0	RONILO JR VALLEZ BAYAN
0	ENRIQUE MONSERRAT
0	NATHANAEL ACE PINEDA VILLANUEVA
0	NELSON GASIC

Defenders
No.	Name
0	AMANI MANUEL SANTOS AGUINALDO
0	ARBOLEDA FITCH JOHNSON DAVIZ BARACE
0	ROBERT JAMES GIER
0	JUAN GUIRADO
0	JERRY RUBEN LUCENA
0	SIMONE ROTA
0	SATO DAISUKE
0	DENNIS VILLANUEVA
0	LUIZ ABADIA
0	JENNO AQUINO
0	MATTHEW CANGCO ASONG
0	MARK ANTHONY BALDOSANO BESANA
0	JULIAN MARIANO NODA CLARINO
0	JOHN DE CASTRO
0	JOSHUA GROMMEN
0	FRANCISCO JOSE PRIMO SANTOS
0	RICHARD TALAROC
0	ELNIE DORIMON
0	SHIRMAR FELONGCO
0	STEPHAN PALLA

Midfields
No.	Name
0	MISAGH BAHADORAN
0	KENSHIRO DANIELS
0	CURT DIZON
0	SIMON GREATWICH
0	JOHN CHRISTOPHER BULALA KANAYAMA
0	MANUEL OTT
0	PATRICK ALCALA REICHELT
0	STEPHAN MARKUS SCHROCK
0	MARTIN STEUBLE
0	JAMES JOSEPH YOUNGHUSBAND
0	PAUL MULDERS
0	CHRISTOPHER ROBERT GREATWICH
0	FRANCIS ABALUNAN
0	AUSTIN ALIANZA
0	ARNEL ABULOC AMITA
0	ALVIN ARANAS
0	JORREL ARISTORENAS
0	KARL BRONDA
0	RAINIEL DOSANO
0	JAY SHAUN BEBING SOBERANO
0	KENNEDY UZOKA
0	IAIN RAMSAY
0	KEVIN INGRESO
0	ORVILLE ORTEGA

Forwards
No.	Name
0	RUBEN DOCTORA JR.
0	DANIEL BERNAN REYES GADIA
0	MARK HARTMANN
0	JAVIER PATINO
0	JOSE ELMER PORTERIA
0	PAOLO SALENGA
0	PHILIP JAMES YOUNGHUSBAND
0	MIKE OTT
0	JASON NICOLAS MARIA DE JONG
0	PAOLO BUGAS
0	CHARLIE BEATON
0	DOMINIC DEL ROSARIO

You Tube : Philippines v Bahrain: 2018 FIFA WC Russia & AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 (Qly RD 2)

Philippines vs Bahrain will be streamed live below. Stream geo blocked in Philippines, Middle East and North Africa

Phil Younghusband happy with the Azkals’ chemistry

Preparation is always the key, they say.
But for the Philippine Azkals, which had only ten days to prepare for the country’s first match against Bahrain in the 2018 FIFA World Cup Asian qualifiers, it was enough for the players to develop a deep bond, something the squad hopes will translate on the field.

“We’ve always said that ten days isn’t an ideal time. We would like to deal with it a lot longer, but considering we’ve had a short period of time to prepare, I think it’s going well,” said Phil Younghusband. “Everyone’s happy. Everyone’s excited. We haven’t had any major injuries. Every one is available.”
Younghusband even bared that the team went on to have a bowling session on Monday just to help the Azkals further develop their camaraderie off the field.

Though short in preparation, the longtime national team member is elated with the level of talent he has seen from the players which comprise the squad.
“It would’ve been nice to have another friendly or a game under our belt, but I think it’s going well. We’ve seen the things done in training, the talent we have on the field, and we feel more and more confident because we have such good players on our team,” said Younghusband.
Aside from new recruits, the Azkals also got significant boosts for the Bahrain match with the return of Neil Etheridge, Stephan Schröck, and Javier Patiño in the lineup.

“We expect to be deep. We have Javier up front and Stephan Schröck and all great players who have a lot to offer to the team and can make the difference and change the game,” said Younghusband.
Phil is also poised to take on a different role from his usual striker duties as Dooley is expected to put him on an attacking midfield position, something which Younghusband is ready to embrace.
“I expect a different role and I’m looking forward to the role I hope I can thrive on,” he said.
And Younghusband is just raring to get the win on Thursday, as he sees that a victory could set the tone for the country’s World Cup bid.
“It would mean a lot. This is the first game. We need a good start. If we get a bad result, we’re playing catch-up from now on, so we have to get a good result now. It will give us confidence going into the Yemen game and if we get two good results, that would go on and give us a good chance of doing well knowing that we still have to play Uzbekistan,” he said.
“We know how big this game is and it’s important to make the home advantage count.” CFC


Read more: http://sports.inquirer.net/183840/phil-younghusband-happy-with-the-azkals-chemistry-despite-short-preparation#ixzz3cgQZoMFt