Azkals draw powerhouse Thais, Viets

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Azkals’ quest for at least a semifinal stint in the 2012 AFF Suzuki Cup got tougher after the Pinoy booters found themselves in the same group as traditional regional powers Thailand and Vietnam plus the winner of the qualifying round.

The Azkals, surprise semifinalists two years ago, the Thais, the three-time ASEAN champs, and the Vietnamese, the Suzuki Cup titlists four years ago who suffered the ignominy of a 0-2 upset loss in the elims to the then unheralded Pinoys in 2010, were bunched in Group A during yesterday’s official draw ceremonies in Bangkok’s Golden Tulip Sovereign Hotel. 

Completing the cast in the group stages set Nov. 24-Dec. 1 will be the top nation among aspirants Cambodia, Timor Leste, Myanmar, Brunei and Laos. The five will play in the qualifiers from Oct. 5-13 in Yangon.

“You could see the top three teams in Southeast Asia (in terms of Fifa rankings) belong to one group – Vietnam (120th), Thailand (135th) and the Philippines (152nd),” said Azkals team manager Dan Palami, who seemed to be sitting on needles while waiting for the actual draw beamed live on giant TV screens at the Azkals Sports Bar.

“Of course, Thailand has been a very strong competitor. Vietnam will be there to make sure they avenge the loss they had (to Phl) in 2010. Well, Phl is there to make sure we qualify to the semis and of course bag the championship. And we’ll do everything we can to ensure Filipinos will be well-represented in this particular tournament,” he added.

Group A action will be played at the Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok with the Azkals slated to kick off their bid against the host Thais on Nov. 24 before tackling Vietnam three days later, and the top qualifier on Nov. 30, hoping to secure enough points to earn another trip to the home-and-away semis slated Dec. 8 and 12.

Bracketed in Group B were defending champion and host Malaysia, 2010 runner-up Indonesia, Singapore and the runner-up of the qualifying stage.

“I would have wanted a different group but really there’s no weak group here. Instead of reflecting who we’re paired with, I’d like for the team and PFF to be more focused on our own preparations. If our intention is to win the championship, it is imperative that we prepare ourselves properly, be ready to face and beat the strongest teams,” Palami said.

The Azkals had seen themselves facing similar “Group of Death” before. In the 2010 Suzuki Cup, they were lumped in Group B with Vietnam, Singapore and Myanmar but managed to emerge second after the group stages en route to a milestone semis appearance. In this year’s AFC Challenge Cup, the Azkals hurdled ex-champions India and Tajikistan and then beat Palestine to cop a breakthrough bronze.

“I’m tempted to say, what else is new?” said Palami in half-jest. “The team has actually been to not just tough draws but tough situations on and off the pitch and managed to overcome all these by being resilient. This is the mark of a Filipino and it’s also the reason we’re called Azkals.”

Palami said the Azkals will “look forward to doing the same” in the 2012 Suzuki Cup. “But we need to back up our desire and words with concrete actions: by going through really tough camps, playing really tough games against top teams, and hopefully, it will be easier for us when the tourney finally comes.”