|
Post by cjeagle on Sept 10, 2011 7:59:00 GMT 8
Azkals battle Nepalese in friendly here, a first in more than a decade By Cedelf P. Tupas Philippine Daily Inquirer 9:34 pm | Friday, September 9th, 2011 MANILA—A Philippine football team expected to be at full-strength faces Nepal in an international friendly on October 11 at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila. Philippine Football Federation president Mariano “Nonong†Araneta Friday said Nepal has confirmed the date to battle the Azkals. It will mark the first time in more than a decade that the country is hosting an international friendly match. Although the Philippines has hosted tournaments like the AFC Challenge Cup and more recently, the World Cup Qualifiers, it has not staged a friendly match at home since the Philippines lost to Estonia, 0-1, in November 1997 at the Rizal Memorial Stadium. With Nepal’s confirmation and Singapore also agreeing to host the Azkals on October 7 at the Jelan Basar Stadium, the national team will be in for a tough grind with five matches in 11 days. The Azkals, currently in Bacolod for a week-long training camp, will play three games in the Long Teng Cup in Kaouhsiung starting September 30. National team manager Dan Palami is relishing the latest challenge for the Azkals, who lost to Kuwait, 1-3, in the second round of World Cup Qualifying at the Rizal Memorial Stadium last July 28. “It’s a daunting task, but I’ve always thought that the only way we can improve is by playing more international matches,†said Palami. “The good thing now is we have a pool of players in the team and only five from the Long Teng Cup team will be called up for the Singapore and Nepal matches.†Europe-based players Neil Etheridge, Stephan Schrock, Jerry Lucena, Manny Ott and Paul Mulders will be available for the friendlies since the dates of the matches fall on the international break. Dennis Cagara has already indicated his interest in playing for the Azkals in the two matches, Palami said. “Anytime we have a full squad is always a plus for us because our players are not available all the time,†Araneta said. The Nepal match, Palami said, will give the Azkals a preview of what to expect in the AFC Challenge Cup next year in Kathmandu. “It will be a good preview for us to see their playing style and since they are ranked higher than us, it will be a good indicator of how we are from their level,†said Palami. Palami said the friendly against the Singapore will be a gauge on how both teams have gone since the Azkals held the Lions to a 1-1 draw in their run to the Suzuki Cup semifinals last year. sports.inquirer.net/15501/azkals-battle-nepalese-in-friendly-here-a-first-in-more-than-a-decade#_
|
|
|
Post by cjeagle on Sept 10, 2011 8:01:25 GMT 8
Here is an interesting website. The Nepalese have been checking out our stadium, Rizal Memorial Stadium and from the comments seem to like it. It sounds like they are not used to playing at night under lights though. www.goalnepal.com/news.php?id=4801This Is Where Nepal National Team Take On Philippines - Pictorial Sep 9, 2011 02:23:01 PM The name sounds Nepalese - Rizal Memorial Stadium! Nepal National team is traveling to Manila, Philippines and will play a friendly match against Azkals on October 11 at the RM Stadium. The Rizal Memorial Sports Complex is a national sports complex of the Philippines and is located at Pablo Ocampo St. (formerly Vito Cruz St.), Malate, Manila. It is named after the country's national hero, José Rizal. Formerly the Manila Carnival Grounds, the RMSC was built in 1934 for the Far Eastern Championship Games, a precursor to the Asian Games. It was destroyed during World War II, and reconstructed in 1953 for use in the 1954 Asian Games. The complex was renovated in 2011. The National Stadium, the centerpiece of the sports complex, has a maximum seating capacity of 30,000. _______________ I guess they haven't heard that the stadium has been downsized during the renovation.
|
|
|
Post by fadzki on Sept 10, 2011 14:19:34 GMT 8
This is the same team that got thrash by Jordan 9-0 in the 2nd round WCQ Asia... but they did bounce back by drawing with Jordan in the 2nd leg on home turf... I think they will give our azkals a hard time they are a good side...
|
|
|
Post by Wiking on Sept 10, 2011 14:32:31 GMT 8
I think the final say in this match is our home field advantage. No doubt we must minimize our errors on the pitch, but I realize that'll be hard to do when our euros haven't really played any time together except at the WCQ and the prior Singapore game. Either way watching this game will be a blast.
|
|
|
Post by feindouno on Sept 10, 2011 14:41:38 GMT 8
"Rizal" sounds Nepalese? That's interesting.
Nepal seems to have a great difference in terms of home-away performance. Altitude related, perhaps?
|
|
|
Post by fadzki on Sept 10, 2011 14:45:46 GMT 8
They also thrash timor-Leste in there home soild 5-0 but struggled in timor-leste winning 2-1...
|
|
|
Post by cjeagle on Sept 10, 2011 15:17:45 GMT 8
I like the fact that in the comments section, the Nepalese describe our stadium as beautiful. They have a good coach, but I think playing at home and with the advantage of having our experienced European players available in this game, we should do well. But we better not underestimate the fighting spirit of the Nepalese. After all, that is where the famous Gurhkas come from.
It will be tougher next year though, if we end up facing them in the AFC Challenge Cup, as we are not used to the altitude.
|
|
|
Post by narko on Sept 10, 2011 18:25:14 GMT 8
Right cjeagle, the home of the Ghurkas. Bred from very tough stock indeed. Should be a good match.
Feindouno, you might have a point regarding altitude. In South American qualifiers, that's a problem faced by those who have to play away games to Ecuador, whose capital Quito is up in the Andes. Players describe the experience as hell, the thin air does not provide enough oxygen for the amount of energy normally expended in a match and it just saps them of all their strength. FIFA was going to ban matches from being held at a certain altitude and this caused quite a ruckus with the Andean nations fighting back saying the proposal was discriminatory.
|
|
|
Post by mpower on Sept 11, 2011 6:20:01 GMT 8
This is the same team that got thrash by Jordan 9-0 in the 2nd round WCQ Asia... but they did bounce back by drawing with Jordan in the 2nd leg on home turf... I think they will give our azkals a hard time they are a good side... Because they have terrible stadium condition thats why they draw with jordan in thier home .. I think it will be an easy match for azkal and will help to improve the ranking . singapore ia a bit hard specially in thier home but if you win over them in thier home you will get a high rank the next month.
|
|
|
Post by dan17808 on Sept 12, 2011 13:02:16 GMT 8
Climate is always a factor in every outdoor games. Azkals have tested the freezing condition of Mongolia, the humid air of Myanmar and Sri lanka, the summer heat of Kuwait and the heavy rains of Philippines. Now they have to face altitude problem (not attitude! ) @ Nepal this coming AFC Challenge Cup. Hope they can acclimatized earlier before their game in ACC... train in Baguio! Against Nepal in RMC, PHL: 3-0
|
|
|
Post by hollywoodazkal on Sept 13, 2011 10:55:29 GMT 8
"Rizal" sounds Nepalese? That's interesting. Nepal seems to have a great difference in terms of home-away performance. Altitude related, perhaps? I think the altitude is Nepal's biggest home field advantage, hence the big discrepancy in their home/road record. Most sea-level playing teams have difficulty adjusting to that altitude. Fortunately, we can prepare ourselves by practicing in Baguio which is higher than Kathmandu's elevation.
|
|
|
Post by cjeagle on Sept 22, 2011 23:12:45 GMT 8
tickets for philippines-nepal friendly match to be sold starting october 1 – pff September 22, 2011 criticaleye2 PASIG CITY, Philippines – The Philippine Football Federation (PFF) announced today that tickets for the Philippines vs. Nepal international friendly will be sold beginning October 1. The game will be held at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex on October 11 with kick-off at 7 pm. Tickets will be sold through the various outlets of Ticketworld and online through ticketworld.com.ph. Ticket prices are as follows: Lower Grandstand Center P3,000 Upper Grandstand Center P2,000 Lower Grandstand Side P1,500 Upper Grandstand Side P1,000 White (Center) Bleachers P500 Blue (Side) Bleachers P300 Green (Side) Bleachers P300 Ticket sales will be limited to 5 tickets per transaction. This is to allow more fans a chance to watch the game at the stadium. The Philippine Men’s National Football Team (“the Azkalsâ€) will feature a complete, full-strength line-up barring any injuries. This will form part of the team’s preparations for the Challenge Cup finals in March next year in Nepal. The Azkals will be facing a Nepal team which is ranked number 134 in FIFA/Coca Cola rankings. The Philippines is currently ranked number 165. Fans are encouraged to check the ticketworld.com.ph website for the seating arrangements at the stadium and choose their preferred seats and alternate choices to allow for faster processing of ticket sales. The PFF also would like to caution fans against buying tickets from other sources other than TicketWorld. This is to prevent the inadvertent purchase of “fake†tickets. Measures put in place by the PFF and Ticketworld led to the discovery of fans who had to be turned away at the gates for having the misfortune of purchasing spurious tickets for previous matches. ladrido.net/2011/09/22/tickets-for-philippines-nepal-friendly-match-to-be-sold-starting-october-1-pff/____________________________ Jonny commented that they have higher ticket prices for this game than against the WC qualifier against Kuwait. I think that is based on the law of supply and demand, jonny.
|
|
|
Post by xyz1000 on Sept 23, 2011 10:08:17 GMT 8
Any news on the condition of the field?
|
|
|
Post by cjeagle on Sept 23, 2011 11:29:50 GMT 8
It is good that they are limiting the transactions to 5 per person to minimize scalping incidents as much as possible for those in the Philippines. Unfortunately I am limited to watching on livestream so anybody knows any links to the game, please post it here before the the actual event.
|
|
|
Post by materkush on Sept 25, 2011 8:32:30 GMT 8
MANILA—Dennis Cagara, a highly-touted Fil-Danish defender, will make his home debut for the Philippines when the Azkals face Nepal in an international friendly on October 11 at the Rizal Memorial Stadium. Injuries and conflicts in schedule have delayed Cagara’s debut with the Azkals, whose last international match ended in a 1-3 defeat to Kuwait in the second round of World Cup qualifying. This time, though, the former member of the Danish youth squad, who has played for Hertha Berlin in the German Bundesliga, has confirmed he is reinforcing what could be the strongest national side assembled. The Nepal friendly will mark the first time that the Azkals will have a full complement of players since it falls on the international football break, Araneta said. Clubs are inclined to release players during the international break. “(Dennis) Cagara will join us for two matches,” said Azkals manager Dan Palami. “He is a good addition to the team with his skills and experience.” The Azkals will also face Singapore in another international friendly on October 7 in Singapore. Meanwhile, The Philippine Football Federation announced that tickets for the international friendly will be sold starting October 1 through various Ticketworld outlets. Local Organizing Committee chair Bonnie Ladrido said ticket prices range from P300 for side bleachers to P3,000 for the center area of the lower grandstand. Prices for the side area of the upper and lower grandstand are pegged atP1,000 and P1,500, respectively. The center lower grandstand will still cost P2,000, while the center bleachers area tickets has been priced at P500. As a measure to prevent the hoarding of tickets, Ladrido said they will limit purchases to a maximum of five per person. PFF president Mariano “Nonong” Araneta said they needed to charge for tickets to augment the cost of hosting the Nepal national team and for bringing in the Azkals players from Europe, including goalkeeper Neil Etheridge, Stephan Schrock, Jerry Lucena, Paul Mulders, Ray Jonsson Manny Ott and Rob Gier. LINK sports.inquirer.net/17831/cagara-debuts-for-the-azkals-against-nepal-here
|
|