Philippines vs. Mongolia AFC Challenge Cup 1

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The home game we've all been waiting for.
And when I say we, I mean the whole Philippines - who was, almost literally, present at the Panaad Stadium that day. Not a single inch of space around the stadium was unoccupied, and all of it cheering for the Philippines.

In the end, after what appeared to be the longest human wave in history, the Philippines won the game 2-0 against Mongolia. It did not come easily however, with both goals having happened in the dying minutes of each half. I personally expected the Philippines to do better, as the opponents they were dealing with were fainting with heat along the way in stretchers. Not to mention that one Mongolian Altantulga Pagamsuren who was sent out for a red card that left the team playing with 10 players instead of 11.

Chieffy Caligdong's goal gives me chills until now. Phil's goal took us all by surprise - especially that Mongolian keeper.

Philippines
Caligdong 42'
P. Younghusband 93'

Check out some pictures here by S. Kieron Tan.
or
Enjoy some Match GIFs:


Aly! Catch this!




Here you go Jason


I feel the need to tackle someone


Okay Jason I'll do it


No Phil I can tackle this guy myself


Now look what you made me do Jason


It was good enough Rob


Hey move back I wanna tackle someone too


But tackling is dangerous!


Hey who tackled James?!


WHAT ARE YOU ALL DOING LET'S GET SOME GOALS IN


Okay here you go Chieffy!


Oh is this what you need?



Awesome CHIEFFY! Make another goal!


Hey Simon maybe you could get a goal in


Okay how about this?


Nah you do it Phil


Okay fine



ZOMG It went in!


Can I have your jersey?


We're wearing the same jersey! Don't give yours to coach!

Azkals vs. CPU Korea Friendly

Azkals 4 - 1 CPU Koreans (read more about it in the Manila Bulletin)

Azkals:
Simon Greatwich 17'
Ian Araneta 44'
Aly Borromeo 50'
William Guerridon 65'

CPU Koreans
Gyung Sik Choi 49'

Also known as the reason for why "the team had to sneak out the backside of the hotel last night for dinner... lol" - Anton del Rosario

Now that we're done appreciating that impressive performance by the Azkals (minus Phil Younghusband who was benched for a minor hamstring injury), let us put into account what the Azkals are actually dealing with in Bacolod right now.

This video from ABS-CBN's Bandila should show you what:

As if that video above wasn't enough, this one posted by Azkal News gives us a closer look on the craziness in Bacolod.

Girl in orange at 0:50. You just physically displayed what a number of us really feel when we see them but dare not openly show it. You are brave. :D

I never really got these tweets until that video:

Also, sneaky Jason makes an appearance in said game

"Haha everyone thought I'd arrive on the 5th"

 

 

More pictures here and here.

Fan footage from here:

Azkals being funny online

It pays to follow them. You're rewarded with a few giggles.

Take Phil, for instance.

The imagery! James strangling Phil and Phil fighting for his life with a pencil. Priceless.



Also, knowing how big of a Federer fan Phil is is quite funny too.

Rob Gier acts senile when in truth he doesn't look a day over 25 T.T

Jason De Jong gets angry on Facebook.
This, I've got to clarify first. A picture was posted on his fanpage saying that Jason has had 18 caps for the Philippines, which he corrects below. The first "Jason Dantes de Jong" that comments here is the real Jason. The second one is the moderator of the fan page. Look what happens:

That's okay, Jason. You're still cute when you're angry. ;) It actually reminded me of this tweet of Neil's.

Of course Chris Greatwich will never be excluded from this list. He won the poll, actually.

Mark Drinkuth and Patrick Herget understand Mark McMahon's gayness.
Basically Mark McMahon commented on a super fly picture taken of William Gueridon and Patrick and Markinho reply with this here below: (By the way Patrick mentions Islam Ahmed, a Fil-Egyptian who tried out for the  squad)

Mark Drinkuth is my hero :D haha


Speaking of Mark, he recently posted a photo album of his time in Manila. A few photos made me laugh. This one, especially:

Maybe because he looked like a dorky cutie next to another cutie posing beside a jeepney, or the fact that they basically went through the standard operating procedure of being a tourist in the Philippines. I don't know. My brain can't handle it. They further fulfill their tourist image by learning the language:

I didn't even know they made "Learn Tagalog" CDs haha. However I think it's sweet they're taking time to learn. I hear Patrick's even hired a teacher to learn Filipino. Maybe when he's not obsessing over his blue boots, he'll have time to learn. Good luck.

Philippine Football 101 a.k.a. that Azkals feature on "Patrol ng Pilipino"

If I wanted to make a "Philippine football so far" feature, it would look like this.
The amount of footage is unbelievably awesome. We've got more or less everyone in here. Including the new ones!

This video documents the journey of the Azkals from winning the group stage of the AFF Suzuki Cup, to the PFF President drama, to the first UMak training ever, to the government recognition, to the hype, to the semi-finals matches, to the Indonesian hostility, to the Indonesian hospitality, to the return back home, to the scared-faced airport reception (haha), to the coach drama, to the new coach, to the tryouts for the AFC Challenge Cup. It's all here.

 

 

Because the Azkals know they're a thousand times cuter with Santa hats

Dear Santa,

Please give me one or all of these for the Holidays.

Love,

Mrs. De Jong

More shots here

I hope Santa can fit all of them under my tree. If there is no more space, he can put the gifts in the bed. ;)