Vietnam team arrives in Bacolod for AFF semis

THE Vietnam Football Team landed at the Bacolod-Silay Airport on Wednesday, November 28, via a chartered flight from Hanoi for the 2018 AFF Suzuki Cup Leg-1 semi-finals on Sunday, December 2 at the Panaad Park and Stadium.

Golden Dragons, the one-time Suzuki Cup champion and seven-time semi-finalist, are looking forward to returning to the finals.

Back in 2010, the Philippines wrote history in Hanoi when the Azkals defeated Vietnam, 2-0, before their home crowd when Chris Greatwich and Phil Younghusband scored surprising goals alongside Neil Etheridge’s huge performance as a keeper. The Filipinos duplicated the win in Bangkok with a 1-0 edge.

The Philippines is on its fourth semi-final appearance since the “Miracle in Hanoi” in 2010 but missed the semis in 2016 when the country co-hosted the Suzuki Cup together with Myanmar.

“We know what this team, the Men’s National Team, is capable of,” said PFF president Mariano Araneta Jr. “We have reached the semi-finals for the fourth time and once again we call all football fans and stakeholders to show your support as the team bids for a spot in the final.”

Meanwhile, team manager Dan Palami said that the players are motivated in this semis and he’s hoping that everyone in the Philippines is happy with the achievement. “We have to credit the heart of the players who give their all every time they are on the pitch.”

Younghusband, the team captain, appeals for more support from Filipino fans in this semifinal match against Vietnam. “If you are in Bacolod, can fly to Bacolod or can tell friends in Bacolod – let’s try and fill Panaad Stadium,” he said.

In Younghusband’s Instagram post, he noted that the Philippines ranked last of the 10 competing teams in terms of attendance with 7,849 while Timor Leste has 9,076. “It saddens me to see that out of 10 teams in the Suzuki Cup 2018 competition, from each of the team’s two home games in the group, we have the lowest attendance and ranked last. Even Timor-Leste who did not play one game in their country had been able to garner more support than us. I’m sure there a number of reasons for this, something that maybe cannot be solved in a few days,” he stressed.

“In our semi-finals in the past, we have sometimes struggled in the away ties because of the atmosphere and the hostile crowd that cheers their home team and intimidated us. We need to do the same in our turf,” he added.