Peace Cup: Reichelt rises to snag opening day win for Azkals

(Updated 10:12pm) On a night with plenty of opportunities but next to nil goals, Patrick Reichelt kept the Azkals from settling for a scoreless tie, connecting on a header against Guam to take a 1-0 opening day victory in the Philippine Peace Cup, Tuesday at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum. The win gave the Philippines three points in the standings. In the earlier match, Chinese Taipei salvaged a 2-2 draw with Macau, to give both sides a point each, while Guam failed to get on the board. Reichelt came on board at the 56th minute, replacing Ian Araneta.  He was initially just one of the many substitutions coach Michael Weiss made throughout the night, until the Fil-German from the UFL's Global FC scored the one and only goal at the 81st minute for the home side. Missing key striker Phil Younghusband and his midfielder brother James, the Azkals struggled to find the net as Denis Wolf, and Ian Araneta failed to yield goals in the first half for the home squad. At the eight minute mark, Caligdong made a cross to the middle with nobody home to finish. The  Azkals were relentless, though, as Araneta and Marwin Angeles pushed the ball at the 10-minute mark before Guam cleared the attempts. It was at the 21st minute when Araneta threatened to break the deadlock for the Azkals, but the Airman's first attempt went wide to the left. Araneta had another chance when Caligdong fed him from the corner, but the veteran forward's header went wide to the right. Guam, too, had several attempts early, but Edward Sacapano proved that he was a worthy alternative to Neil Etheridge. Sacapano cleared several ground balls from Guam, including a dangerous challenge at the 24th minute that saw the keeper charging towards Reyn Johnson. At the 33rd minute, a Guam handball gave the Philippines a chance for a free kick, but Carli De Murga's attempt sailed high to the left. The Azkals stayed aggressive till the dying minutes of the half, as a Wolf and Christaens two-man game sent a cross to a waiting Bahadoran at the right flank. Guam's goalkeeper Douglas Herrick however, sailed in to intercept the ball before Bahadoran had a clear shot. At the 40th minute, Bahadoran decided to take matters into his own hands, but Herrick's quick hands ended in a deflection for Guam. Just before the halftime whistle, the Philippines found Caligdong on the left. In an attempt to get past the towering Herrick, Caligdong flicked the ball up too high, as the hosts settled for a 0-0 draw with the visitors at the half. After the break, Guam got more aggressive on the pitch. The visiting squad pushed forward to get the team's first corner kick at the 50th minute, but Mark Cargualaf's long attempt went wide. Guam carried on, as Jonahan Romero went for another shot at the 52nd minute, but it went straight to the arms of the Azkals keeper. Not to be outdone, the Philippines continued to share the ball well, as Wolf, Demitrius Omphroy, and Carli De Murga pushed forward. De Murga served Araneta from the right flank, but the latter fell to the ground for another unsuccessful attempt. After Reichelt was fielded in for Araneta at the 56th minute, the Azkals continued to stay in the hunt for a goal. Wolf served De Murga for an open shot that went straight to the keeper at the 60th minute, before Omphroy fed Reichelt for a shot that sailed high. OJ Porteria came in for Chieffy Caligdong at the 70th minute, as Wolf and De Murga continued to tag-team, looking for a conversion. Wolf pushed ahead at the 73rd minute, before passing back to a waiting De Murga who shot wide to the left this time. Guam keeper Herrick continued with his superb goalkicks, with one yielding a chance at the 73rd minute for the visitors. De Jong tried to cover a charging Guam squad, but Sacapano caught the ball before any semblance of an attempt could materialize. Replacement Porteria gathered himself at the 78th minute for his own crack at the goal, but his attempt flew wide to the left through two defenders. The visitors threatened yet again at the 78th minute, as Jason Sabio headed the ball clear. The Philippines countered as Lexton Moy found himself in the middle, but the shot went high right to add to the home team's frustrations. With time running out, the Philippines made use of another corner kick to salvage a win against a much-lower ranked squad in Guam. The visitors failed to clear the ball, allowing Reichelt to head in a goal for the lone difference in the match at the 81st minute. The Azkals made one final substitution late in the match as Marvin Angeles went in for Omphroy. The Philippines then took care of the ball until the final whistle for the 1-0 victory. The Philippines will play Macau next on Thursday before facing Chinese Taipei on Saturday. - AMD/OMG, GMA News