THE Azkals have a big problem when it hosts the first leg of the AFF Suzuki Cup 2018 semifinals this Sunday at the Panaad Stadium. It’s opponent, Vietnam, has quite a formidable defense.
By formidable, I mean Vietnam did not concede any goals in Group A, where it emerged on top. While the goalkeeper kept a clean sheet, the rest of the team amassed as many goals as it could.
Vietnam scored eight goals in all: 3-0 against Laos, 2-0 against Malaysia, and 3-0 against Cambodia. Only Myanmar managed to frustrate Vietnam with a nil-nil scoreline. Laos and Cambodia aren’t the strongest teams, but Malaysia and Myanmar can always give any team in the region a serious challenge any time.
In contrast, the Philippines only managed five goals, three of which came at the expense of the tournament’s weakest team, Timor-Leste. The irony is two of the goals the Azkals conceded came courtesy of Timor. The other one came from a Thai boot, an unfortunate breach in an otherwise exceptionally solid performance by the Azkals’ defense.
One might argue that all three goals stemmed from a lapse of concentration. But the crucial match against Indonesia exposed the Azkals’ defensive weaknesses. If not for individual heroics, quick thinking, bits of luck, and close offside calls that went our way, the 0-0 scoreline against Indonesia might have been different in the host’s favor.
After three matches, head coach Sven Goran Eriksson should probably have plugged some defensive loopholes, and the Azkals stand a good chance of holding the onslaught from the mercurial Vietnamese this time around.
The last time they met in 2014, the Vietnamese beat the Azkals 3-1. Head-to-head, the Philippines leads two wins to one since the Miracle of Hanoi in 2010.
None of those matches matter now, really. Both teams are much improved versions since the last tournament. But let’s not fool ourselves: against Vietnam, the Azkals are the underdogs.
Underdogs or not, the Azkals are their own worst enemy. Their inability to find the back of the net imperils their quest for the region’s most-coveted trophy. With the kind of talent at his disposal, Eriksson might be at a loss as well. He barely has a week to figure this conundrum out.
The Azkals have done enough to advance to the Suzuki Cup semifinal round, its fourth in five editions. But they need to do more than enough to get past Vietnam.
To defeat Vietnam, the Philippines needs to play like champions. And champions score the goals that matter.