by Earl Victor Rosero
The Under-16 national football team managed to score two goals in separate games though they were unable to win a match in the ASEAN Football Federation U16 Championships in Vientiane, Laos.
The Teen Azkals' first goal came from Ryu Nell Fegidero in the 11th minute of the game against Cambodia last July 8. Fegidero, who hails from Bacolod, also got a red card in the 90th minute of that match.
According to the AFF account of the game, Cambodia scored in the 7th minute but the Teen Azkals “were not affected by the early strike and launched right back into attack mode. Their efforts paid off within four minutes when Fegidero scambled in a close range shot."
Yves Russel Caballero of Cebu gave the Teen Azkals’ second goal in the match versus Myanmar on July 12.
“Wai Hin Tun whacked his shot from the edge of the box to put Myanmar in a more comfortable position. Alas, that did not last long as Yves Russel Caballero fired from outside the box and watched anxiously as the ball hit the crossbar. To his relief, it bounced downwards into goal," the AFF said.
In their last match in Laos, the Teen Azkals met Vietnam from whom they got a 10 - 0 pounding.
"For the Philippines, their brave run ended today and they will be heading home tomorrow after failing to secure any points in the tournament. In the dying minutes, the Philippines lost their goalkeeper Jose Zaldy Abraham Jr. who was red carded for a foul in the box," the AFF said Thursday.
The top two from each group advanced to the semi-finals. Laos and Thailand have stepped forward from Group A while Myanmar and Singapore forged ahead from Group B.
Home-grown players
The Philippine Football Federation (PFF) informed GMA News Online via email that the Teen Azkals were sent to the AFF U16 championships “to find out how near or far our youth players are, in terms of playing ability, compared to our immediate neighbors, then work from there."
Formed only last summer, the current Teen Azkals are in their first international competition. The team, with Glenn Ramos as coach, is made up of home-grown players recruited with the help of the PFF’s football associations in the provinces.
“We opted to compare our home grown players with our ASEAN neighbors to find out where or how our players development is compared to theirs," the PFF said in its email.
PFF secretary-general Ramon Manuel said they are looking for a “godfather’ for the U16 team which is made up of 15 players, 10 of whom are from the Visayas. Three are from Mindanao and two are from Metro Manila. The Teen Azkals' team manager is Alvin Carranza.
Azkals team manager Dan Palami said he will meet the Teen Azkals soon to help them identify and address areas for improvement. — VS, GMA News
No comments:
Post a Comment