Uncategorized – Page 5

Ceres-Negros Keen to Put Philippines Soccer on a High with the AFC Cup Success

Ceres-Negros FC have been a dominant force in domestic football for a considerable period of time but they are now targeting a greater acclaim when it comes to the ongoing AFC Cup 2019. The club know that success in the competition will be able to put depends on the map. A number of critics expect Ceres-Negros FC to be able to go through the group G with little comfort even if it is already termed as the group of death. Some of the toughest teams from the Asian region like Persija Jakarta of Indonesia, Shan United of my work and Became xBinh Duong of Vietnam have been included in the group.

As a result, the AFC Cup will feature a greater calibre of players like never before. Midfielder Curt Dizon, though, sees that the competition for the AFC Cup has always been great and it is not likeCeres-Negros FCare receiving a special treatment. However, he is quite hopeful about helping put Philippines soccer in among the big names. Even though Philippines football has grown a lot in recent years, the success in major tournaments like the AFC Cup will be the dedicated. Forward OJ Porteria says that the club had to play every game with a lot of belief and confidence in order to stand a chance of getting past the group of death.
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The Philippines Start Their Campaign with a Sweet Victory

The Philippines Azkals kick off their campaign of the 2018 Suzuki Cup with a victory over Singapore with a triumphant 1-0. No goals were scored during the first half during which both the teams tried their hardest to score. It really seemed to be frustrating until the 78th minute when the atmosphere changed exceptionally by the goal of Patrick Reichelt and filled itself with tension for Singapore at the same moment. He was assisted by Phil Younghusband with a smooth touch before he kicked it in. The offensive side of Singapore was weak as they had already lost their most crucial forwards to cramps i.e. Faris Ramil and Shahril Ishak in the meantime.

The coach Svën Göran Eriksson was proud of the coordination and overall performance of the team and greatly appreciated the win saying that they had earned it for themselves. With this victory, the Philippines took over three points. Sato changed things in the Philippines as he brought the game to an offensive edge as if threatening Singapore. James Younghusband was substituted in for Mike Ott to enhance the midfield attacking more. The contribution to the defense of the match greatly goes to the Japanese defender Daisuke Sato.
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Sven Goran Eriksson Experiencing Big-Game Atmosphere with AFF Suzuki Cup

Philippines national team coach Sven Goran Eriksson says that the AFF Suzuki Cup has the same feeling of a World Cup. Philippines will be going into the tournament semi-final game against Vietnam with the first leg set to take place soon. Speaking ahead of this match, Eriksson says that the mood around the game is extremely similar to the bigger games found in tournaments like the European championships and the FIFA World Cup. He is of this opinion since the semi-final of the tournament is a crucial part.

The former England manager has great experience of the international tournaments after having been in charge of the England national team for several years. He has been unable to lift a major international trophy in his career but the experience amassed by the 70-year-old in various stages of his career happens to help quite a lot. The first leg of the AFF Suzuki Cup semi-final will be taking place at the Panaad Park and Stadium on December 2. This will be followed by the second leg. The experience of Eriksson can help Philippines achieve a positive result the national team has had a difficult time when it comes to the major tournaments but reaching the semifinals of theAFF Suzuki Cup is a significant boost to Philippines football.
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YOUNGHUSBAND: WE HAVE SEEN BIGGER MIRACLES

Philippines suffered a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Vietnam in the semifinal first leg of the AFF Suzuki Cup 2018 and now have an uphill task when they visit the My Dinh Stadium in Hanoi for the return leg.

Veteran striker Nguyen Anh Duc put the Golden Dragons ahead at the Panaad Stadium in Bacolod before Patrick Reichelt pulled the home side level before half-time. But the parity was short-lived as Phan Van Duc scored three minutes into the second half to gift Vietnam the advantage of two away goals heading into the second leg.
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Philippines National Team Earn Draw with Oman

Philippines were able to get a hard-earned 1-1 draw with Oman in a recent friendly match. After having been regularly considered as the whipping boys, it was a major result for Philippines as a whole. The result can also have greater implications for the nation in the upcoming group stages of the AFC Champions Cup. Philippines have lost only once in the last five games across all competitions and they head into the opening game against Singapore in a positive frame of mind. Despite being one of the oldest football Association’s in Asia after being founded in 1907, Philippines have not been able to make much of an impact in the Asian football.

The popularity of other sports like basketball and boxing has resulted in football being downgraded to a lower level in terms of Philippine sports. This has directly affected the quality of the players who have been coming through the ranks. Since 2000s, however, there has been a significant change with overseas talent – who have Filipino lineage in their blood – being accepted into the national team. Players who were unable to feature for popular national teams have decided to opt for Philippines due to their lineage. Some of the popular names to have gone down this road are James Younghusband and Phil Younghusband – both players have been associated with the Chelsea youth system in the past.
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Philippine Azkals Had A Painful Draw Opposite Bahrain

The men’s football team of Philippine has now started its buildup process under Scott Cooper. He is the new coach of the team. The Philippine Azkals has a draw in the match which was played against familiar foe Bahrain. The draw was with the score 1-1, in a FIFA international friendly match that held on September 7. The match held in Riffa at the Bahrain National Stadium.

The score line was opened by Phil Younghusband doing damage in the 49th minute from the spot again for his 51st international goal for the Philippines. Then the momentum of the game shifted slightly when Carlos De Murga the defender went down in the 77th minute. This is the time when Bahrain had an opportunity in the 86th minute when Neil Etheridge, the goalkeeper went out of line, but scrabble with the save, however De Murga was right there and at the right spot to clear the header.
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SACKED JAPAN NT COACH TO TAKE JFA TO COURT

Sacked coach of the Japanese national team VahidHalilhodzic is seeking explanation for his shock exit, according to reports. Lawyers of the former coach say they are prepared for legal action against the Japanese football officials following his shock firing two months out from Russia 2018. The lawyers claim it was an “abusive” breach of contract.

The Franco-Bosnian tactician was fired in a similar manner by the Ivory Coast months before the 2010 World Cup. However, the coach revealed that in that case, the president of the country called him to explain the political angle that forced the decision. He said in the case of Japan, there were no issues but he was suddenly fired from the role where he was expected to lead the team to the World Cup after three years work. He added that it was “very difficult to accept” since there were no warnings or explanations for the action.
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Prandelli Looking Forward To Working With Sneijder

Former Italy boss Cesare Prandelli has claimed that he is very much looking forward to working with the Dutch midfielder Wesley Sneijder at Galatasaray. Prandelli has been regarded as one of the finest young coaches in world football. However, he failed to prevent Italy from being knocked out of the group stages for a second consecutive World Cup. Taking the blame for this early exit, Prandelli offered his resignation and has since become the new manager of Galatasaray. The Turkish club recently parted company with another Italian in the form of Roberto Mancini and they wasted no time in securing Prandelli.

The return to club football opens the door to managing players from other national teams and one of the players he is keen on working with is Sneijder. The Dutchman was an ever present in Louis Van Gaal’s team at the World Cup. Prandelli says that he was extremely impressed with the way Sneijder applied himself in the Dutch team that was missing star players like Robin van Persie on a few occasions. Even though the former Inter Milan player is not at his best, Prandelli reckons that Sneijder more than substituted it with his impressive workrate.

Galatasaray failed to win the league title last season and this is expected to be the key objective in the coming campaign.

“Sneijder played very well in the World Cup. He ran more than everyone else in the tournament. His work rate was top. Sneijder is a very important player for us. I hope he will play with the same ambition when he returns. I want to win everything and Galatasaray is a good place for my aims. I’m different from Roberto Mancini. I want to win 20th title for Galatasaray. I cannot wait to play in TT Arena,” said the new Galatasaray manager.

TAIWO WILL BE SURPRISED

Nigerian defender Taye Taiwo has claimed that he will be surprised as everyone if he gets a call from the national team for the upcoming World Cup 2014. Taiwo has been out of the national team reckoning for the last two years now. Despite being one of the established players for the national team, manager Stephen Keshi has been unwilling to call him for the national team. The former AC Milan player has almost given up hope of representing Nigeria once again. The provisional Nigerian squad for the World Cup 2014 will be announced by Keshi next week.

Taiwo says that it is highly unlikely that he will be even in this provisional squad. Since making his debut in 2004, the defender has made more than 50 appearances for the national team. He has represented Nigeria at the World Cup 2010. However, he says that the fact that Nigeria have been incredibly successful in the last few years – by winning the African cup of nations and qualifying comfortably for the World Cup 2014 – makes it difficult for him to get into the squad.

The 28-year-old is currently playing with Turkish outfit Bursaspor, which further limits his opportunities to get into the squad. However, he says that he has still not retired from international action and will always be available.

“I played at the last World Cup, but this one will be very difficult to be a part of. I’ve been out of the set-up for over two years so I am rather pessimistic than optimistic this time around. Without me playing a part, Nigeria won the Africa Cup of Nations and qualified for the World Cup, so realistically my chances of making it are very slim. I’ve not retired from the national team, so I will always make myself available for selection,” said Taiwo.