SOURCE: Cedelf P. Tupas
JAKARTA—There’s no shortage of confidence in the Philippine camp on the eve of the most important match of its football history.
Coach Simon McMenemy said motivation isn’t a problem. Skipper Aly Borromeo is convinced the pressure is on the enemy. And star striker Phil Younghusband said losing will be “massively disappointing.”
Inspired and well-rested, the Filipinos look to overhaul a 0-1 “home” leg loss when they clash with the in-form Indonesians Sunday night in the second leg of their Asean Football Federation Suzuki Cup semifinal clash at the Bung Karno Stadium.
“We know we can win. There’s no excuse,” skipper Aly Borromeo told the Inquirer before heading out for training Saturday afternoon. “There’s no pressure on us. The pressure is on them (Indonesians). We don’t have to prove anything.”
With the away goals being applied, a 2-1 win will be enough for the Philippines to make the finals. A 1-0 victory for the Filipinos will force extra time.
But a draw regardless of the goals scored would end the Filipinos’ Cinderella run in the competition.
Vietnam and Malaysia were to play in the other semifinal in Hanoi last night with the hosts hoping to rise from an 0-2 loss in Kuala Lumpur last Wednesday.
The Filipinos defended valiantly in the first leg, except for a rare mistake by keeper Neil Etheridge that led to the lone goal by Uruguayan Christian Gonzales.
But they lacked their usual incisiveness and struggled with their build-up play, making it difficult for them to break down the Indonesians.
For all of Indonesia’s dominance in possession, the Filipinos, however, proved they carry a threat with five shots on goal, compared to the Indonesians’ two.
The team returned to training yesterday after enjoying a rest day Wednesday and Borromeo hoped that they will be able to solve their attacking woes during the workout.
“I think they (Indonesians) will be expecting us to set the pace of the game so they’ll be dropping back,” said Borromeo. “We just have to fix our attack on the final third.”
“All the players will be utterly disappointed if we don’t qualify (for the finals),” Younghusband said. “Even though it’s Indonesia and they’ve won all its games, the team feels we can still go all the way. That’s the expectation now.”
Younghusband said while an early goal for the Filipinos will be crucial, it is not as important as their defense holding up for the game.
“It’s important that we don’t concede,” said Younghusband. “It’s important we don’t come rushing in for that goal and commit too many men because if we go one goal down we need to score three. Probably when it comes to the last 20 to 30 minutes that’s when we have to be aggressive.”
Borromeo agreed.
“If we can keep that full mental edge up to the last 20 minutes when we start attacking we can score two goals. No question,” Borromeo said. “It’s all a mental game now.”
Team manager Dan Palami remains upbeat over the Filipino booters’ chances, judging from the way they have bucked tremendous odds on their way to reaching this stage in the tournament.
“One of the best things about this team is its never-say-die spirit,” Palami said. “We still have 90 minutes to come back.”
“We know we can win. There’s no excuse,” skipper Aly Borromeo told the Inquirer before heading out for training Saturday afternoon. “There’s no pressure on us. The pressure is on them (Indonesians). We don’t have to prove anything.”
With the away goals being applied, a 2-1 win will be enough for the Philippines to make the finals. A 1-0 victory for the Filipinos will force extra time.
But a draw regardless of the goals scored would end the Filipinos’ Cinderella run in the competition.
Vietnam and Malaysia were to play in the other semifinal in Hanoi last night with the hosts hoping to rise from an 0-2 loss in Kuala Lumpur last Wednesday.
The Filipinos defended valiantly in the first leg, except for a rare mistake by keeper Neil Etheridge that led to the lone goal by Uruguayan Christian Gonzales.
But they lacked their usual incisiveness and struggled with their build-up play, making it difficult for them to break down the Indonesians.
For all of Indonesia’s dominance in possession, the Filipinos, however, proved they carry a threat with five shots on goal, compared to the Indonesians’ two.
The team returned to training yesterday after enjoying a rest day Wednesday and Borromeo hoped that they will be able to solve their attacking woes during the workout.
“I think they (Indonesians) will be expecting us to set the pace of the game so they’ll be dropping back,” said Borromeo. “We just have to fix our attack on the final third.”
“All the players will be utterly disappointed if we don’t qualify (for the finals),” Younghusband said. “Even though it’s Indonesia and they’ve won all its games, the team feels we can still go all the way. That’s the expectation now.”
Younghusband said while an early goal for the Filipinos will be crucial, it is not as important as their defense holding up for the game.
“It’s important that we don’t concede,” said Younghusband. “It’s important we don’t come rushing in for that goal and commit too many men because if we go one goal down we need to score three. Probably when it comes to the last 20 to 30 minutes that’s when we have to be aggressive.”
Borromeo agreed.
“If we can keep that full mental edge up to the last 20 minutes when we start attacking we can score two goals. No question,” Borromeo said. “It’s all a mental game now.”
Team manager Dan Palami remains upbeat over the Filipino booters’ chances, judging from the way they have bucked tremendous odds on their way to reaching this stage in the tournament.
“One of the best things about this team is its never-say-die spirit,” Palami said. “We still have 90 minutes to come back.”
