The Philippine Azkals are advancing once again to the semifinals of the Asean Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Cup.
The country’s national football squad achieved the same feat that spiked football’s popularity in the country in 2010 with a historic 2-0 win against Myanmar yesterday at the Supachalasal Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
This is the first time the Philippines has won over Myanmar.
In 2010, the Philippines also made history when it first advanced to the semifinals by beating then defending champions Vietnam, 2-0.
Phil Younghusband and Angel Guirado made the win possible for the Philippines.
Younghusband redeemed himself with a well-placed goal in the 46th minute after three botched attempts that were all stopped by Thiha Si Thu. He picked up a long pass from Jason de Jong and evaded two Myanmar defenders to flick in the goal with his left foot.
Guirado, who came in as a substitute for Denis Wolf in the 35th minute, scored his goal three minutes into the added time in the second half on a breakaway after receiving a pass from Carlie de Murga. De Murga replaced Ray Anthony Pepito Jonsson in the backline after the latter suffered a quad injury.
The Philippines needed a win against Myanmar for a comfortable entry into the semifinals.
A draw would have placed it on a points tussle with Vietnam had the latter also won against Thailand in a match held simultaneously with the Philippine-Myanmar match. But the Thais beat Vietnam, 3-1, to avoid any complication.
The win confirmed the Philippines in the top 2 position or as the runner up in Group A with six points. It also paved the way for a Suzuki Cup game to be held in Manila due to the home-and-away semifinals format.
The trip back to the semifinals is very important for the Azkals as they missed out on their home game in 2010 when the AFF decided to have both legs of the semifinals in Indonesia.
Thailand took the top spot in Group A with nine points and will face the runner-up in Group B.