IT’S been a week since history was made at the Rizal Memorial Stadium, and perhaps we should all just sit back and relish the Azkals’s qualification for the AFC Asian Cup 2019. But we can’t. Because achievements of this scale are not forgotten that easily.
Consider how it felt like the end of the world when our team suddenly found itself trailing Tajikistan 1-0 due to a penalty. A loss was unthinkable, but it was there, minutes away from happening. I have no words to describe the anxiety that gripped the stadium that night.
Fortunately, the Azkals’ responded with aplomb. Kevin Ingreso produced a monumental equalizer off a beautiful counterattack involving Iain Ramsay and brothers James and Philip Younghusband. In extra time, Phil sealed the win and secured the country’s Asian Cup slot in the United Arab Emirates. The crowd? They went home jubilant and sane.
And just like that, football is in everyone’s mouths once again as the Azkals slip back into the national consciousness. This renewed interest will follow the Azkals as they prepare for their toughest tournament yet.
Qualifying for the Asian Cup signifies a leveling up, a new beginning in the Azkals saga, one which began more than a dozen years ago. But as in most beginnings, the looming challenges can be daunting.
A less obvious challenge that presents logistical nightmares to the Azkals management is the 2018 AFF Suzuki Cup this coming December. The Azkals have yet to win the Southeast Asian tournament – now with a new home-and-away format – and fans expect much from a team that has just leveled up.
The problem is that less than a month after the Suzuki Cup wraps up, the Azkals need to fly to the UAE for the 2019 Asian Cup that begins early January. And we all know how competitive the Southeast Asian tournament is in this football-mad region. Azkals management needs to ascertain how to approach the Suzuki Cup and at what cost, injuries, burnouts and all (time to call up Stephan Schröck?).
It would be a folly to treat the Suzuki Cup lightly, much more as a mere tune up tournament, since a poor performance will burrow itself deep not just in the players’ heads but in the collective psyche of the Azkals fans as well. A good result, on the other hand, will certainly boost the team’s morale and provide momentum as they head out to the Middle East to slay giants.