Courtesy: AFF Suzuki Cup
It was veteran Azkal Phil Younghusband who had the shots on goal and he also had the best chance midway through the second half when he managed to sneak past the Thai defense but stumbled inside the box.
Despite the Thais going down by 10 men, the Azkals failed to score on the opportunities and ended up duplicating their feat two years ago against eventual champion Singapore.
Philippines Coach Thomas Dooley said that he was satisfied that the team avoided conceding the precious away goals with the scoreless draw, but rued the opportunities on goal wasted.
“I’m glad that they didn’t get a goal against us in this game, so when you score one there it’s huge. Obviously, I’m happy that we didn’t get scored on, but also I’m whining a little bit on the chances that we could have scored one,” said Dooley.
“Our team can play. They can play football, they should show it. We didn’t look too much about the opponent, [but] we wanted to play our game. And our game is to play football. So we need to build those triangles, we need to use the space that they give us and just be controlling of the ball,” he added.
“What we were missing in the game against Vietnam is because it wasn’t a big deal whether we lose or not, we’re in the semi-finals. This is a big deal, and that’s why everybody was ready. So when we need the guys on the field to do the things they do, they’re ready.”
Younghusband recalled the 54th minute attempt, saying that it was a huge miss when his body did not respond to his will, but saw the brighter side of being able to match the level of intensity against the sport’s elite in the region.
“I lost my footing there, sayang. I don’t know, my legs just gave way. I saw the goal, but my legs just went to the floor. Siyempre, disappointed ako. I think we showed today that we can compete against teams like Thailand,” said Younghusband.
The Azkals, who scored a draw for the first time in their head-to-head history, will head to Thailand on Monday in preparation for their December 10 return match against the War Elephants. They will need at least a draw – or better yet, a win – to enter the finals for the first time in tournament history.
On their part, Thailand opted to sacrifice offense and parked the proverbial bus in their goal, allowing the Philippines to dominate the game in possessions especially in the second half.
“The semifinals is not easy, they (Philippines) worked hard also. My players are just youngsters… they still have a lot to learn,” said Thai coach Kiatisuk Senamuang.
Despite their grit in defense, Thailand absorbed a big blow in their offense as high-scoring striker Adisak Kraisorn will sit out the Bangkok leg due to a red card after hitting Filipino defender Amani Aguinaldo with a cheap shot in the 69th minute.
Kraisorn was Thailand’s hero in their group stage edging of Malaysia, scoring two goals in a 3-2 win last November 26 in Singapore.
