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YEAREND RECAP: AMAZING AZKALS MAKE SPORTS ILLUSTRATED TOP TEN SOCCER STORIES OF THE YEAR
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 31 Dec 2010
In an unprecedented leap into international recognition the story of the amazing Azkals Philippine National Football team in the 2010 Suzuki Cup has been picked as the No. 10 story in the prestigious Sports Illustrated magazine?s top ten football stories of the year.
In an article titled ?Inside Soccer? by Georginia Turner, the Azkals stunning 2-0 upset of defending champions Vietnam occupied the No. 10 spot which is something that has never happened before in Philippine football.
In picking the Azkals story for the top ten spot Turner said ?The Philippines beats Vietnam. The Asean Football Federation's biennial Suzuki Cup might not be too high up on your list of priorities, but this year's tournament produced arguably the biggest upset in its history: Defending champion and federation powerhouse Vietnam lost 2-0 to the Philippines, ranked 151st in the world and without so much as a point off Vietnam in nearly 20 years.?
Turner said ?Accusing the Azkals of parking the bus, Vietnamese coach Henrique Calisto refused to shake his opposite number's hand after the match. Simon McMenemy was upset by the gesture but wouldn't be drawn into a slanging match after a result that prompted the country's vice president, Jejomar Binay, to promise a national training program.?
Businessman-sportsman Manny Pangilinan who gave the team P1 million for their training has promised to support football and has called on other corporations to join PLDT-Smart in supporting the development of football and taking it to an even higher competitive level internationally.
The Azkals played gallantly in the semi finals against undefeated powerhouse Indonesia but lost both legs by a 1-nil margin prompting the Indonesian coach to praise the Filipinos and say they play like Europeans.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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