Manila (Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN) - The Philippines football team is gunning for no less than a comfortable victory against Mongolia in the first leg of their AFC Challenge Cup duel in Bacolod City, and the Azkals aren't burdened by the high expectations heaped on them by the public.
Expectations are always high and all this buildup and attention toward us just makes us hungrier for more victories ahead," Azkals skipper Aly Borromeo told the Inquirer.
We've been waiting so long for football to touch the heart of the Filipinos. This is just a step in proving that we can put Philippines in the football map of the world."
Borromeo was responding to comments made by Philippine Olympic Committee president Jose Cojuangco Jr., who said that Filipinos should not expect too much from the Azkals, despite their semifinal finish in the AFF Suzuki Cup last December.
Cojuangco's statements on the radio show Usapang POC that the Azkals match with the Mongolians was getting too much publicity went viral Friday (February 5) and drew passionate comments from fans online.
I think we need all the hype we can get at this moment," Borromeo said.
The Azkals continued their buildup Thursday when they beat a Central Philippine University side bannered by Koreans, 4-1, in a match watched by 3,000 fans at the Panaad Stadium.
Simon Greatwich opened the scoring with a 35-yard strike in the 17th minute, before Ian Araneta doubled the lead before halftime.
The Koreans pulled a goal two minutes after the restart, but Borromeo scored on a header from a corner kick in the 49th minute, before new recruit William Guerridon wrapped up the scoring in the 65th minute.
Filipino-Dutch midfielder Jason de Jong was inserted into the starting eleven a day after arriving from the Netherlands.
The Azkals missed star striker Phil Younghusband, who was sidelined by a hamstring problem on both legs. Younghusband said he should be ready for the showdown with Mongolia on Wednesday (February 9).
Meanwhile, two Filipino-Danish standouts Dennis Cagara and Jerry Lucena arrived in Manila Friday to process their passports, a requirement needed for them to play for the Azkals in future matches.
Expectations are always high and all this buildup and attention toward us just makes us hungrier for more victories ahead," Azkals skipper Aly Borromeo told the Inquirer.
We've been waiting so long for football to touch the heart of the Filipinos. This is just a step in proving that we can put Philippines in the football map of the world."
Borromeo was responding to comments made by Philippine Olympic Committee president Jose Cojuangco Jr., who said that Filipinos should not expect too much from the Azkals, despite their semifinal finish in the AFF Suzuki Cup last December.
Cojuangco's statements on the radio show Usapang POC that the Azkals match with the Mongolians was getting too much publicity went viral Friday (February 5) and drew passionate comments from fans online.
I think we need all the hype we can get at this moment," Borromeo said.
The Azkals continued their buildup Thursday when they beat a Central Philippine University side bannered by Koreans, 4-1, in a match watched by 3,000 fans at the Panaad Stadium.
Simon Greatwich opened the scoring with a 35-yard strike in the 17th minute, before Ian Araneta doubled the lead before halftime.
The Koreans pulled a goal two minutes after the restart, but Borromeo scored on a header from a corner kick in the 49th minute, before new recruit William Guerridon wrapped up the scoring in the 65th minute.
Filipino-Dutch midfielder Jason de Jong was inserted into the starting eleven a day after arriving from the Netherlands.
The Azkals missed star striker Phil Younghusband, who was sidelined by a hamstring problem on both legs. Younghusband said he should be ready for the showdown with Mongolia on Wednesday (February 9).
Meanwhile, two Filipino-Danish standouts Dennis Cagara and Jerry Lucena arrived in Manila Friday to process their passports, a requirement needed for them to play for the Azkals in future matches.
