MANILA – Phil Younghusband achieved a personal milestone by netting his 50th international goal and his team – the Philippine Azkals – also attained a historic feat by barging into the 2019 AFC Asian Cup for the first time.
Azkals completed what many say is an improbable accomplishment when it scored 2-1 over Tajikistan in the final group match of the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers on Tuesday night at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium.
Kevin Ingreso nailed the game-tying goal in the 74th minute before Younghusband drained the clincher in the final minutes as Azkals punched a ticket to the AFC Asian Cup in the United Arab Emirates.
“I don’t know if I even have a legacy,” said Younghusband. “I think this cements everyone’s legacy – everyone who has been a part of this. I just feel very blessed that I get to play the sport I love and enjoy it in the country I love.”
Tajikistan looked to pull off an upset after gaining a 1-0 lead in the 64th minute on a penalty by Akhtam Nazarov from a foul by Ingreso. The latter was quick to atone from his mistake by heading a cross by Iain Ramsay minutes later.
“We were positive. We kept on pushing forward. We knew we still had the chance,” said Ingreso. “I made that mistake. A clear foul. I was totally down for a few minutes but my teammates just kept picking me up, and I was just the lucky one who hit that goal.”
After the equalizer came the game-clinching goal from Younghusband in the 90th minute from the penalty shot following a handball violation committed by the visiting team.
“I just want to say one thing: this is the best team that we had, this is the best camp that we had in four years. Everything is positive,” said Azkals coach Thomas Dooley. “This is amazing. We talked about that before the game. If you are positive, you can’t lose.”
In the AFC Asian Cup next year, Azkals will be in Group H along with Uzbekistan, North Korea, Bahrain, and Yemen, which also advanced to the tournament proper Tuesday night with a 2-1 win over Nepal./PN
