2010 AFF CUP: 'Azkals' concede goal in 'home' loss to Indons

Friday, 17 December 2010 08:20 Diego de la Paz

A defensive error allowed the lone goal that secured a 1-0 "away" win for Indonesia against the Philippines in the first leg of their 2010 ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Cup semi-finals match on Thursday night.

A day earlier, defending champions Vietnam lost 2-0 to Malaysia in the other semi-finals matchup, where Malaysia's Mohd Safee scored a pair of goals in the 61" and 80" during the second half.

In front of close to 80,000 people, including incumbent Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudyuhono, the heat was on for the hosts at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta. Facing a victory-hungry Philippine XI, the Indonesians managed to rise above the pressure and made very close attempts on goal.

Their Philippine counterparts responded with the same intensity, with the chance of hosting a game on home soil being denied due to technicalities regarding the game venue. Phil Younghusband and Chris Greatwich managed to attempt shots either within the penalty box or just outside, but their efforts were denied by the Indonesian defense.

In the 30", a rare defensive lapse by Ray Jonsson that blocked Neil Etheridge's chance for a defensive stop resulted in a Christian Gonzales header that was slotted in the left corner of the goal and give the leg's "hosts" a 1-0 advantage.

One of the best chances by the Filipinos to equalize was on a mad scramble for the loose ball within the penalty area on the 75", when the spheroid found its way to Phil Younghusband, who managed to fire it into the goal. However, it was headed by Zulkifly Syukur.

A highly physical match that saw the Red and Whites triple-teaming the Younghusband brothers at almost every opportunity to neutralize their effectiveness on the pitch saw four players getting yellow cards, which included Phil Younghusband and Jason de Jong for the blue shirts, while Christian Gonzales and Oktovianus Maniani were the offenders in the red shirts.

Luckily for the Philippine team, the away goals rule was waived due to the rare and unfortunate "away-and-away" setup. This means that the PHL XI should shut out the Red and Whites by a scoreline of 2-0 to go through without having to extend the match to a "golden goal" extra time or a penalty shootout.

In related developments, the Philippines has been tapped to host the next edition of the AFF Cup in 2012, according to Philippine Football Federation (PFF) media bureau chief Rick Olivares. Details have not been released, but it has been made into reality by the tireless efforts of interim PFF head Nonong Araneta, Monico Puentebella and Ravy Khek.

The second leg of the Indonesia-Philippines matchup will be on Sunday, still at Jakarta.

AFF SUZUKI CUP FIXTURES AND RESULTS
SEMI-FINALS
MALAYSIA vs. VIETNAM
Leg 1: MAS 2 - 0 VNM
MAS: M. Safee (61", 80")

Leg 2 (December 18, 2010): MAS at VNM
My Dinh Stadium - Hanoi, Vietnam

INDONESIA vs. PHILIPPINES
Leg 1: INA 1 - 0 PHL
INA: K. Gonzales (30")

Leg 2 (December 19, 2010): PHL at INA
Gelora Bung Karno Stadium - Jakarta, Indonesia

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