Azkals suffer shock loss to Chinese-Taipei in Peace Cup

(Updated 10:26pm) Chinese-Taipei recorded the first points of the 2013 Peace Cup after stunning the Philippines 2-1 at the Panaad Stadium in Bacolod, Friday.

Lacking clinical finishing up front, the Philippines may have had more possession and more than three times the shots, but it was the 175th-ranked Chinese-Taipei that took home the three points in the Philippines’ first loss in the Visayas region in ten games.

The Philippines now needs Pakistan to beat Chinese-Taipei to retain any hope of defending their Peace Cup crown.

First half

Stephan Schrock provided the first magic of the game as he played a chipped through ball in for Angel Guirado. One-on-one with the keeper, who was out of position, the Global forward tried to lob the goalkeeper, who recovered enough to tip the ball over for a corner.

The Philippines continued to have the better of the opening exchanges, as another smart pass from Schrock set up OJ Porteria inside the box, only his shot was too close to the keeper, who blocked well in the 10th minute.

Against the run of play though, Li Mao was sent through on goal and as the Azkals defense stopped looking towards the linesman for an offside flag, Li chipped the ball over Neil Etheridge and into the goal in the 14th minute.

The Philippines almost equalized in the 30th minute as Chinese-Taipei cleared a corner as far as OJ Porteria, who hit the ball back at goal. The goalkeeper saved the shot but could only palm it six yards out to James Younghusband on the right, and he rocketed the ball at goal. Heading wide, it was deflected agonizingly close.

Soon after Chinese-Taipei had another attempt at goal, with Chih-Hao Wen firing inches wide from inside the area in the 32nd minute, before Azkals Coach Weiss made an early substitution with Porteria taken out for Patrick Reichelt.

The Philippines turned it up a gear when they broke on the counter with Angel Guirado shooting from distance into the keeper’s arms, before Stephan Schrock found the keeper’s hands too from distance.

With virtually the last touch of the half, James Younghusband leveled the scored as the Philippines finally broke Taipei’s defense. Schrock had stolen the loose ball in the middle to feed Jeffrey Christiaens on the left. His cross took a deflection, looping to Patrick Reichelt at the backpost and he headed down for the older Younghusband brother to nod into the empty net.

Second half

The second half began with a good chance for the Philippines, Stephan Schrock’s curling free-kick deceiving the entire Taipei backline, but Guirado glanced his header well wide, before Jerry Lucena dragged a shot wide from just outside the area.

In the 57th minute Angel Guirado again shot into the keeper’s hands.

Then Chieffy Caligdong took to the pitch to a loud cheer from his hometown crowd with Angel Guirado making way for the veteran Azkals winger, before the Philippines won a corner. As Schrock picked up the return ball he crossed in well and with the keeper out of position. the cross confused the Taipei defender into a mistake as he flicked the ball just yards away from his own goal.

But after the second corner, Taipei countered in the 65th minute, and with three versus two at the back, the ball was slipped well in to Lin Chang-Lun and as he tried to center the ball, it deflected off Jason De Jong’s hand and into the back of the net. Kindly, the goal was awarded to Lin.

Things almost got immediately worse for the Azkals as Li Mao was put through on goal again with a quality chipped through ball. A last-ditch challenge from the defense prevented him from exacting perfect revenge for the 3-1 Philippine victory last year though.
 
Misagh Bahadoran came in later before Christiaens’ cross deflected off the defense and fell kindly to exactly whom the Philippines would have wanted it to, Schrock, but he couldn’t find his feet and uncharacteristically mishit tamely wide in the 80th minute.

Mark Hartmann then came on with just a couple of minutes left in the game, but it was Chinese-Taipei who could have extended their lead further, with only a poor pass from the left wing preventing them from having two free men in the middle to tap in the third goal.

And with only enough time left in the game for Neil Etheridge to pick up a yellow card for pushing a Taipei attacker from behind, the Philippines dropped their second game in a row this year, after their first loss of 2013 against Indonesia.

What’s next for the Azkals?    

Chinese-Taipei will be in action against Pakistan on October 13 before the Philippines play the Pak Shaheens on Tuesday night, October 15, to settle the Peace Cup.

Should Chinese Taipei win, then they will be crowned Peace Cup champions for the first time, including the previous format of the Long Teng Cup. Even a draw in that match puts the Azkals out of contention, and so the Philippines will be hoping for a Pakistan win. If that happens the Philippines will need to beat Pakistan, by more goals than Pakistan beat Chinese Taipei to win the title on goal difference.

Either way one thing is for sure, with a full-strength side and a home crowd behind them the Azkals will be disappointed with this result. The statistics show the Philippines had more possession and more shots, 16 attempts, nine on target, versus Taipei’s five shots and two on target, but the only statistic that counts is that Chinese Taipei won the game by two goals to one.

With the United Arab Emirates and India waiting soon after the final Philippine game, there’s still much to improve on, ahead of the Challenge Cup. - AMD, GMA News