Azkals thump Turkmen, enter AFC CC semis

Matches on Tuesday (National Stadium)

3:30 p.m. – Palestine vs Afghanistan

9 p.m. – Philippines vs Maldives

MALE’ – Azkals keeper Roland Muller jumped up and down in front of the net, clapping his hands up.

He got into position as Turkmenistan’s Aleksander Boliyan launched his penalty kick. Muller guessed right and foiled the shot as Phl eventually cleared and got itself out of the tricky situation.

That could have been the marginal goal for Turkmen but instead it became a key factor in the Azkals’ 2-0 victory that sent them into a second straight semifinal stint in the AFC Challenge Cup last night at National Stadium here.

The Azkals finished  with seven points on two wins and one draw as they go into the Last 4 as the Group B top seed. They will face Group A No. 2 and host Maldives on Tuesday night, seeking to continue their bid for the crown and Asian Cup stint.

Muller had at least 10 saves against the attack-conscious and back-against-the-wall Turkmen, none all the more bigger than the saved penalty.

“He actually won the game for us,” said Azkals coach Thomas Dooley of his Fil-German keeper. 

“That doesn’t mean everybody else didn’t do their jobs. Those were beautiful goals from Patrick (Reichelt) and Phil (Younghusband) but today we have to recognize that the one who kept us alive whole game was Roland (Muller),” said Dooley.

After muffing a couple of clear chances in the last game, Younghusband made his presence felt on offense this time, slamming in a free kick to give Phl a 1-0 headstart four minutes after restart to the delight of some 100 Filipinos who trooped to the venue to cheer them on.

Recheilt made good on a terrific cross from Martin Steuble, firing a sublime volley that doubled the Azkals’ lead at the 53rd minute mark.

The Azkals gained the top seeding in the bracket after Afghanistan drew with Laos in the other game at Hithadhoo Stadium over in Addu City. The Afghans finished with five points.