FIL-Spanish striker Angel Guirado and midfielder James Younghusband will miss the Philippine Azkals’ semifinals match against Turkmenistan in the AFC Challenge Cup in Nepal on Friday but Philippine Football Federation chief Mariano Araneta Jr. is convinced the team still has what it takes.
Guirado and Younghusband will sit out the match after being slapped their second yellow cards in the Azkals’ 2-1 victory over Tajikistan last Tuesday that powered them to a historic semis stint.
"I believe Misagh Bahadoran can fill in Guirado’s shoes while
Marwin Angeles is an able reliever in midfield for James," Araneta
pointed out.Turkmenistan emerged as the top team in Group A but Araneta was hardly unfazed, saying: "If we play with the same focus and determination then our chance is as good as any."
North Korea, which beat the Philippines 2-0 in the eliminations, takes on Palestine in the other semis match.
Araneta also spoke glowingly of defender Jason Sabio who, he said, "is the discovery of the tournament."
"Jason has been playing steadily and been a surprise for our team in the AFC Challenge Cup," Araneta said. "He is the discovery of the tournament."
The 25-year-old Alabama University law student has been a stalwart in the back row and his stock has risen with every game in the tourney, according to Araneta.
"Sabio has been very reliable in our back row in a team where everybody seems to have stepped up with every game," added Araneta, who praised the Azkals for their historic upset of Tajikistan.
In the last three games, Sabio has played his role of libero or
sweeper with aplomb, aggressively chasing down balls and coolly clearing
away potential attempts to make life much easier for goalkeeper Neil
Etheridge.He has also become handy in offense, with his long, accurate throw-ins setting up his teammates for excellent scoring chances.
One of the original Azkals who revived soccer fever in the country when the team reached the Suzuki Cup semifinals in 2012, Sabio has also shown newfound poise and is no longer given to tantrums when things don’t go his way on the pitch.
Araneta also cited Guirado for his spirited performance in rallying the Filipinos to the come-from-behind win over Tajikistan, the 2006 Challenge Cup champion.
"Angel was inspired and his play was crucial in sustaining our hopes in the tournament," he said.
During the post-match briefing, ecstatic German coach Michael Weiss noted the triumph had taken the Azkals to a higher level.
"This is a historic day! We have actually been making history through the tournament but that is not comparable today," Weiss said in his remarks posted on the Asian Football Confederation Website.
"We have entered a higher level. Our opponents are much stronger than anyone we play in the region. This has been based on hard work and commitment. I am moved and honored to be proud to be coach of this team."
Tajikistan coach Kemal Alsaphic, a Bosnian, refused to give credit to the Azkals and blamed his players for their failure to reach the semis.
"In the first half, we had a good result and we’re in control of the second half until our defenders made too many mistakes. In fact, today we lost to ourselves and not to our opponents," Alsaphic was quoted as saying on the tournament’s official website,www.the-afc.com.
Weiss gave his players a break yesterday.
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