5 things we learned from the Azkals' win vs. Fiji

 

The Philippines eked out a narrow 3-2 win against an overmatched Fiji team as part of the country’s preparations for its last Asian Cup qualification match against Tajikistan next week.

The Azkals thoroughly dominated proceedings in the first half, even if it only went into the halftime break with a one goal lead courtesy of a Phil Younghusband penalty.

In the second half, Pika Minegishi and Kevin Ingreso added to the Azkals tally before two late Fiji ensured a nervy finish for the home squad.

Here are five points from the game.

1. Defense will be tested against Tajikistan.

Carli de Murga, Dennis Villanueva, Simone Rota and Jeffrey Christiaens formed a new look back four for the Azkals. While they held their own for the most part against a clearly inferior side, the jury is still very much out whether they could do the same against a much stronger Tajikistan eleven.

The Tajiks will be needing nothing less than a victory on Tuesday and will be expected to take the game by the scruff of the neck.

While the individual qualities of Messrs. Carli, Dennis, Simone and Jeffrey are undeniable, how they work as a unit and the understanding needed to keep a clean sheet will be key against the Persian Lions.

However, the expected return of Cardiff City’s first choice goalkeeper Neil Etheridge will be a massive boost, as will the return of Daisuke Sato, who now plays in Romania’s Liga I.

2. Kevin Ingreso’s may be the midfield solution.

In last year’s Suzuki Cup, some fans questioned coach Thomas Dooley’s central midfield combination of Manny Ott and Phil Younghusband, saying that both attack-minded players oft went forward and left the back four without cover.

Judging by his performance against Fiji, Ingreso may be the solution as he provided the cover when needed while going forward when the opportunity presented itself.

His physical battles in the center of the park frees up Manny Ott to do Manny Ott things, while giving the back four enough support.

The Ceres man capped off a splendid display with a well taken volley to make it 3-0 midway through the second half, and he will surely be among the first men in Dooley’s team sheet against Tajikistan.

3. Azkals’ inverted wingers may be key.

Against Fiji, the Azkals could be seen delivering crosses from the wings with the intention of finding teammates in the box for scoring opportunities.

Wingers Iain Ramsay (left) and Mike Ott (right) tried to stretch the field wide, but ultimately the tall Fiji Goalkeeper proved to be more than their match as he collected balls coming to him with ease.

With Misagh Bahadoran not exactly the tallest Filipino in the box, and against a taller Tajikistan backline, will this work? The key will be getting to those second balls if the Azkals will pursue this route.

Also, crosses that are delivered for the sake of delivery but do not land to teammates will not make Phil Younghusband a happy man. The Azkals captain had to drop deep on occasion to get involved in the buildup.

Midway through the first half, Ramsay and Mike Ott switched sides and both could be seen cutting inside, and with Ramsay shooting with his stronger left foot and going close to breaking the scoreless deadlock.

Will we see more of this against Tajikistan?

4. Second half was for testing things out.

With great respect to Fiji, if the Azkals had wanted to beat them convincingly they could have done so, but the night was played out with an eye for the big match against Tajikistan in mind.

The friendly was also for trying out certain combinations and in the second half, Dooley threw in numerous subs to give him a clearer idea of what to expect from his players on Tuesday.

He would come away with many realizations after the match.

Debutant goalkeeper Michael Falkesgaard, Pika Minegishi and Patrick Reichelt would acquit themselves well.

Paul Mulders and Nick O’Donnell perhaps not as much.

It’s all about giving Dooley options, and he would have seen plenty. Just as important, it’s also about not showing our hand too much to the watching Tajikistan.

5. More fans on Tuesday, please.

With the dissolution of the Loyola Meralco Sparks in Manila and with Kaya Makati transferring to Iloilo, the situation now is that football fans from the capital are starved of high quality live football action, due respect to the collegiate football scene.

It comes as no surprise that fans trooped to the Rizal Memorial Stadium to watch the Azkals play against Fiji, a team ranked way below the Philippines.

Come Tuesday, where the stakes are as high as it can get, we hope for more of the same or even better.

A draw against Tajikistan is enough to send the Philippines to the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, where the big boys of Asian football will play. The Azkals deserve to be there.

That this is the biggest game of the Azkals’ history is no exaggeration.

Let’s be there in the big dance. Let’s be there to see the Azkals qualify for it. —JST, GMA News

Ryan Fenix is a football writer and a FIFA Ballon d'Or juror. Rampaging Fullback is his football column for GMA News Online.