2014 Fifa World Cup Asian Qualifiers

[baludoy]

a little update from around the fifa qualifying matches in asia

Favourites progress as stars shine
(FIFA.com) Sunday 3 July 2011
Favourites progress as stars shine
AFP

Eight Asian teams emerged as the aggregate victors after this weekend's second legs of the continent's preliminary qualifying round for 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™, progressing to the next stage where they will join the other 22 higher-ranked sides.

Boosted by their opening triumphs four days earlier, Vietnam and Nepal continued their dominance in the returns as they rounded off their opening-round campaign with unblemished records. Bangladesh and Palestine, meanwhile, also made it through courtesy of their first-leg wins despite drawing against Pakistan and Afghanistan respectively.

But elsewhere there were surprises. Both Laos and Myanmar overcame deficits to advance at the expense of Cambodia and Mongolia respectively, while Chinese Taipei came close to stunning Malaysia. Join FIFA.com as we take a closer look at these thrilling and enthralling encounters.

The game
Philippines 4-0 Sri Lanka
History was made as Philippines stormed into the second round for the first time. Cheered on by their vociferous home crowd, coach Michael Weiss' Azkals dominated the re-match with Sri Lanka from the outset. Shining the brightest, however, was their ace-striker Phil Younghusband, who score two and set up another as his side powered through.

The former Chelsea reserve player first teed up Emelio Caligdong to open the scoring after 19 minutes, before he was on target to set up a 2-0 first-half lead. After Angel Guirado made it 3-0 shortly after the interval, Younghusband struck a penalty on the hour-mark to seal the 4-0 win. Philippines went through 5-1 on aggregate and awaiting them next are Kuwait, with whom they have to battle it out over two legs on 23 and 28 of July for a place in the third round.

The surprise
Laos 6-2 Cambodia
Lamnao Singto netted a brace as hosts Laos bounced back to defeat Cambodia 6-2, a result which set them up against China in the second phase. 4-2 losers in the previous match, Laos halved the deficit on 19 minutes through Singto, before Khampheng Sayavutthi levelled the aggregate scoreline on half-hour mark.

It became a seesaw battle thereafter, with Cambodia twice coming from behind to draw level and force extra time with the scores tied at 6-6 across both legs. The balance, however, was tilted in the hosts’ favour when Visay Phaphovanin put them ahead after 94 minutes, before Sysomvang Kanlaya settled the contest with a 112th-minute spot-kick, sealing an astonishing 8-6 aggregate win.

The other head-line grabbers
Also staging a powerful comeback were Myanmar, who overturned their 1-0 previous loss with a 2-0 home triumph over Mongolia. Two second-half goals from Soe Pai and Mai Aih Naing ensured the progress of the South Asians, who are pitted against Oman in the next stage.

Such a happy ending was not, however, something that Chinese Taipei could count on. Playing in front of their adoring fans, the islanders twice came from behind to defeat Malaysia 3-2 in the return, with the result leaving both sides level on aggregate at 4-4. However, it was the visitors that advanced to meet Singapore, courtesy of two away goals by Mohd Aidil Radzak and Safiq Rahim.

Despite only managing a narrow 2-1 win at home over Timor-Leste, Nepal finally stamped their authorities in the return, firing five unanswered goal past the islanders to book their passage through 7-1 on aggregate. The re-match was the first of the schedule, a day ahead of others, on Saturday and thus made Nepal the first to progress to the second round, where they will meet Jordan.

Elsewhere, Pakistan had no answer to Bangladesh's 3-0 first-leg win as they were held to a goalless draw in the return. As a reward for their aggregate victory, the latter will meet Lebanon in the next-stage competition. Palestine, too, capitalised on their previous 2-0 win to progress despite being held to a 1-1 tie by Afghanistan. But in the next round they will enter uncharted territory in the shape of Thailand.

The player
Vietnam striker Le Cong Vinh set the continental stage ablaze, striking eight times over two legs to top the qualifying scoring chart. Having bagged a hat-trick in their opening 6-0 home win, the three-time Vietnamese player of the year went on to add five as his side won 7-1 in the return.

The stats
9 - Laos’ 6-2 victory over Cambodia has not only earned them progression but has also brought their nine-match winless streak in FIFA World Cup qualification to an end.

What they said
"After we broke the deadlock, the team fully demonstrated their power and potential thereafter. We have quality players and the game showed what they are capable of. Our showing makes us confident for the Kuwait match," Philippines coach Michael Weiss

Asian Zone qualifying, first round, second-leg results:
3 July
Chinese Taipei 3-2 Malaysia
Pakistan 0-0 Bangladesh
Laos 6-2 Cambodia
Philippines 4-0 Sri Lanka
Palestine 1-1 Afghanistan
Macau 1-7 Vietnam
Timor-Leste 0-5 Nepal
Myanmar 2-0 Mongolia

FIFA.com - Favourites progress as stars shine

[baludoy]

just passing the good news:

from KAYA FC twitter:

Just heard awesome news *alybor11 and Schrock are both eligible to play in both Kuwait games! Looks like we are going to be in full force!

[baludoy]

^ mukhang kelangan bawiin. hindi pala makakalaro sina borromeo at schrock sa kuwait. here's the link: Bleachers' Brew

[baludoy]

it looks like chris greatwich and the temperemental jason de jong will rejoin the azkals on their kuwait sojourn. hopefully, de jong has learned his lesson and he will cooperate fully w/ weiss in the next qualifying tiff

[baludoy]

...and hope springs eternal! w/ the favorable response our pff got w/ regards to the appeal we sent over to the afc, we may just see borromeo and schrock play in kuwait.

apparently, the suspension of the duo aren't lock yet so the afc committee may just allow the azkals to play in full force (even though i think schrock is sure to be a no show because of a prior commitment w/ his german club)

for more info pls read here: Bleachers' Brew

[baludoy]

the azkals being featured again in the fifa website. i guess this shows that the recent successes of the team in the asian region is being noticed. if you read the comments w/c followed the article in the website, you'll actually see nice feedbacks left by foreigner footies

Philippines out to scale new heights
(FIFA.com) Tuesday 12 July 2011


Six months ago when German Michael Weiss took over Philippines, very rarely did the national team find their place among headlines, with basketball the invariably dominant sport. However, half-a-year later the footballing passion is re-ignited across the nation, with even Philippines President Benigno S. Aquino III joining the millions of fans celebrating the national team’s unprecedented success after they eliminated Sri Lanka 5-1 on aggregate to progress to Asia’s second qualifying round for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ for the first time.

Having taken the Azkals to their first Asian finals at the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup in March, the victory against Sri Lanka is another feather in his cap during his tenure in charge of Philippines. However, the former Rwanda U-17 manager is given little time to bask in the glow of these achievements, with a stiffer test in Kuwait awaiting them over two legs on 23 and 28 July.

“Kuwait should be the hardest task for us so far,” the 46-year-old told FIFA.com. “They are a very strong team in Asia. I wish I had a year to prepare for the match-ups, rather than a couple of weeks, then we should have a good chance against them.”


Weiss and his outfit wasted no time in embarking on build-up for the tie, with the team back to training on Friday, less than a week after their second-leg 4-0 win over Sri Lanka on 3 July. The preparation will step up a gear with a one-week camp in Bahrain, where the Azkals will play a series of friendlies and are expected to acclimatise to the Gulf weather before heading to Kuwait for the opening away match.

“In preparing against Sri Lanka we had undergone a one-month training camp in Germany and obviously our preparation paid off. Despite the short period we are given this time around, I hope the players can make the best of the camp in Bahrain so that they will go into the Kuwait match in their best form,” Weiss continued.

Tactical approach
Still Kuwait represents an uphill task, as the 1982 FIFA World Cup finalists are among Asia’s traditional powerhouses while Philippines have long been minnows even in regional competition. For many, a Homeric miracle is needed if Weiss’ side are to topple the strongly-favoured opponents coached by Serbian Goran Tufegdzic.

Despite the gulf in class that exists between them, Weiss states that Askals can take heart from their fast progress. “The team have improved a great deal over the past months, particularly in regards to attitude. We have spent much on physical training so they are fit to compete at this level. They used to stick to long-ball tactics but now the team play a good passing game and are stronger in organisation,” he added.

Furthermore, the team can look to a host of emerging stars who have exploded onto the qualifying scene. “We have an excellent goalkeeper in Neil Etheridge who is playing with Fulham, and German-based Manuel Ott is good in driving the midfield. The Younghusband brothers, James and Phil, impress among the home-based players while skipper Alexander Borromeo is the key in the back-line.”

With the latter missing the opener in Kuwait through suspension, the captain’s armband will be passed to midfielder Emilio Caligdong, who opened the scoring against Sri Lanka in the recent triumph. “He is diminutive but is dynamic and creative. He can provide the team with attacking spark and leadership,” he went on.

Against Sri Lanka in Manila, Philippines pressed hard from outset to finish but they will have to focus on defence if they are to catch out the Kuwaitis, as Weiss pointed out. “We will change the central defence and try not to concede a goal in the first match. Kuwait are good at attacking and recently they thrashed Lebanon 6-0 in a friendly so we must stay compact and keep the back-line tight. If we can come away with a goalless draw, then things will be different when we play as hosts five days later.”

Averaging a position of 174 in the FIFA/Coca Cola World Ranking, Philippines, currently 159th, are 57 places below Kuwait. While their chances are slim in the eyes of neutral fans, Weiss said it is too premature to write them off.

“It is a rare chance to display our improvements so we are hoping to give out best. With solid preparation, good performance and perhaps an extra ounce of luck, it’s possible for us to turn the corner,” he concluded. "

FIFA.com - Philippines out to scale new heights

[baludoy]

video of the bahrain-philippines friendly. we lost 2-1. phil, angel, and neil didn't play

http://sport-news24h.b...ne-friendly-match.html

[desert fox]

5days na lang...

mga pinoys sa Kuwait, suportahan nyo po ang azkals.....

Mabuhay!

[baludoy]

video of a recent lebanon-kuwait friendly w/c turned very ugly fast.

‪Football violence Lebanon vs Kuwait

hopefully, this won't happen on sunday when we meet them at their own turf

[baludoy]

video of the 2nd game between the azkals and the bahrainis

Bahrain 3-1 Philippine / Friendly Match 2011 - Video ~

if etheridge isn't around, we will be in deep turd. the pff must find another goal keeper who is built in the same mold as he is