Suzuki Cup: Looking back at the Philippines’ semifinal run

The Philippines may still be deflated following their lackluster exit in the semifinals against Singapore, failing to score in either leg and giving away a cheap goal, which turned out to be the only goal in their semifinal series.

Yet there is a lot to be proud about in the Azkals’ second appearance in the penultimate leg of the Suzuki Cup. It may not have made as many headlines as 2010, but that’s a sign of the progress for the team, which was hoping to go a step further into the Finals. Here we take a look back at the Philippines’ 2012 Suzuki Cup stint, and all of its highs and lows.

The group of death

Once more the Philippines qualified from a "group of death." It began with a shaky start, as it always seems to with the Azkals, who haven’t won a competitive opening group stage game since the 2010 Suzuki Cup qualifiers.

Thailand cut open the Philippine defense in the first 45 minutes and led 2-0 by halftime. They proved to be the only goals the Azkals would concede in the group stage though, as they came back out and put up a fight in the second half scoring a consolation goal through Paul Mulders. That second half against Thailand is also the only 45 minutes Thailand has lost in the tournament thus far.

Cagey starts against Vietnam and Myanmar were again followed by victorious second halves as the Philippines followed up their late win over Vietnam, the soon-to-be usurped number one ranked side in South East Asia, with their first ever victory over Myanmar – on the thirteenth try.

Unsuccessful semifinals

The Philippines had beaten Singapore for the first and second time in their history in the months leading up the competition but results don’t matter in friendlies when it comes down to the real thing. A tentative 0-0 first leg was followed by an equally tentative second leg as both sides seemed to cancel each other out.

Singapore’s crosses were largely dealt with by Rob Gier and Juani Guirado, while going forward, the Philippine attack had little to offer against the organized defense of Singapore. The difference over the two legs and 180 minutes of football was simply a lapse in concentration.

It was a tie that would be decided by a single piece of skill or one bit of luck. As it happened, it was the latter. Khairul Amri received a quickly taken free-kick and in acres of space, he curled into the bottom corner.

Both the Philippine defense, who should have had someone marking the Singapore forward in case of a quick free-kick, and goalkeeper Ed Sacapano, seemed wrong-footed by the move. As simple as it was, the ball bounced and ambled its way into the goal with Sacapano only able to watch it drift past him.

Built from the back

Yet the disappointment of the semifinals, after a positive showing in the group stage, shouldn’t reflect too much on the team. The first positive to take away is the Philippine's defensive record, as the country conceded only three times in five games, a feat matched only by Thailand. However the Philippines have kept the most clean sheets in the Cup holding their opposition scoreless in three games.

Defensively the Philippines have been solid throughout the competition, conceding only against Thailand in the group stage and suffering a single, though costly, lapse in concentration against Singapore.

A blunted spearhead

At the other end of the pitch, the team struggled. In connecting with goals four times in five games, the Philippines scored just over half as many as Malaysia’s seven, exactly half of Singapore’s eight, and a third of Thailand’s 12 after the semifinals. The defense may be impressive, but the lack of goals was the difference between the Philippines and the other semifinalists this year.

The old cliché that the best defense is a good offense meant that the Philippines were without the best weapon in their arsenal and therefore had to chase the game against Singapore when they were set up to defend. Phil Younghusband managed only one goal as he was at times manhandled off the pitch. Isolated up front, the 4-4-1-1 formation established a strong defense but left the lone striker with too much work to do while Younghusband’s game is better suited to a much higher line, working the channels, short passing, quick movement, and getting on the end of crosses and through balls – rather than being a target man to hold up play for teammates to get forward.

The four Philippine goals were each scored by different players in Paul Mulders, Chieffy Caligdong, Angel Guirado, and Younghusband. Three of the four were on the counter and all from open play, while Singapore scored more goals from set pieces alone.

It’s all about balance

For the eighth game in a row the Philippines failed to score in the opening 45 minutes. Though they never lost a second half in those eight games either. The team starts slowly and often finishes strongly, but when you start slowly against good opposition they will punish you.

In essence, over the ninety minutes, the Philippines managed to hold down the other teams successfully as their opponents landed few punches. But in holding them down so much, they had no free hand left to fight back with.

Still, there’s a lot to build on for 2013. After the group stage Weiss spoke of the ‘Azkals Concept,’ of building the team from the back. The balance may not quite be there, the emphasis being skewed towards conceding the fewest rather than outscoring the opposition, but the team has shown remarkable progress since the last Suzuki Cup.

Perhaps the biggest piece of praise for the team’s progress under Weiss and Palami’s management is that reaching the semifinals this year wasn’t a shock. In Elo Ratings, the Philippines has improved their rating by 143 points, coincidentally their FIFA Ranking in the world, and for the second year in a row, are the most improved nation in the world. Only three other countries have improved their rating by 100 points or more, testament to the growth of the team.

The Philippines can now shift their focus to the Challenge Cup as in the absence of North Korea, the Azkals go into the competition as the third-highest rated side. They will have a chance for revenge against Turkmenistan, the top seeds in the tournament, in what is a winnable competition for both countries. Qualifiers begin in March, 2013.

Suzuki Cup Final: Singapore versus Thailand

Meanwhile for the Suzuki Cup, the final clash is between Singapore and Thailand, the two most successful teams in the tournament with three titles each. Thailand has made more finals, having also been runners-up twice, and can currently claim to be the most successful team in the competition, but only by a slim margin.

The 2012 Final will decide which is now the best team in the region – not just historically, but at this moment too. Thailand has shown the attacking flair that carved open the Philippines in the first half, beat Myanmar by the biggest margin in the competition so far, and put three past Vietnam. They are also the only team in double figures with twelve goals so far, averaging more than two goals per game after scoring twice or more in all but one game. Teerasil Dangda now stands out as the top scorer of the competition going into the Final and he will be the dangerman, along with Datsakorn Thonglao. The Thai duo will need to be shut out of the game if Singapore is to have a chance in the final.

Thailand go into the Final as favorites, having the best goal scoring record and the joint best defense in the competition. The first leg of the Final will be played at the Jalan Besar Stadium in Singapore on December 19th, while the second leg will be at the Supachalasai Stadium on December 22. - AMD, GMA News