The Philippine national men’s football team blanked Turkmenistan, 2-nil, to advance to the semifinals of the Asian Football Confederation Challenge Cup on Saturday at National Football Stadium in the Maldives.
Star striker Phil Younghusband and Patrick Reichelt scored one goal apiece in the second half, while keeper Roland Mueller pulled off a superb performance between the sticks for the Azkals, who are just two victories away from winning the Challenge Cup and, ultimately, booking a ticket to the prestigious Asian Cup in 2015.
In the other Group A match, Afghanistan and Laos battled to a scoreless draw, a result that gave the Philippines the top spot in the group. The Azkals will face host Maldives in the semifinals.
The Philippines and Turkmenistan entered the match with depleted lineups. The Azkals missed defender Juani Guirado, which led to coach Thomas Dooley starting the young duo of Daisuke Sato and Amani Aguinaldo in the backline, while Mueller took the spot of injured Neil Etheridge.
Turkmenistan also missed its starting keeper and two defenders due to suspensions after getting cards in its loss to Afghanistan last Thursday.
The Azkals only needed at least a draw to advance, while Turkmenistan aimed for a victory to keep its campaign alive.
The two squads engaged in a tight battle in the first half, finding scoring opportunities through free kicks and corners.
Ruben Doctora received a nifty pass from Stephan Schrock for a great attempt at the 19th minute which fell to the hands of the opposing goalkeeper. Turkmenistan also found a shot shortly after at the 21st minute which was saved by Mueller.
Mueller had a busy day defending the Azkals’ goal, making two crucial saves late in the first half after blocking Turkmenistan’s penalty kick at the 44th minute and another shot in injury time to keep the match scoreless at the half.
Turkmenistan opened the second half with a great shot from the top of the box which fell into the hands of Mueller.
The Azkals finally found the back of the net moments after Patrick Reichelt got fouled on top of the box, which earned them a free kick. Younghusband blasted a shot over the Turkmenistan wall at the 49th minute to give the lead to the Filipinos.
Younghusband and Schrock had chances to pad the Azkals lead quickly at the 53rd minute, but they missed their attempts.
The Azkals found the back of the net once again at the 72nd minute, when Martin Steuble threw a cross to Patrick Reichelt, who flicked in a short shot right in front of the goal which put them ahead, 2-nil, and sealed the victory.
In the semifinals, the Philippines will face Maldives, which finished second in Group A after registering one win, one draw and one loss.
Afghanistan will face Group A leader Palestine, which had two wins and a loss during the group stages.
The 140th-ranked Azkals will face the 153rd-ranked Maldives in their first meeting since 2009 with the latter prevailing, 3-2, in the 2010 Challenge Cup qualifiers.
The champion of the Challenge Cup, a tournament for emerging football nations in Asia, earns a ticket to the Asian Cup, the continent’s biggest football competition.
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