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Azkals do the impossible – and Cristy to forgive?
By Al S. Mendoza
JUST when almost everybody thought they were doomed and all set to be shown the door, the Azkals did almost the impossible.
Was it a miracle?
I’d say yes.
They defeated Tajikistan when they appeared setback-bound.
They prevailed when the odds were heavily stacked against them.
The pulled it out of the fire even as the sword of Damocles hung over their heads.
Against Tajikistan, the Azkals needed a win.
This was because the Azkals bowed to North Korea, 2-nil.
They bounced back by blanking India, 2-0, to stay alive.
In their Tajikistan match, the Azkals had their one foot in the grave.
A loss would mean hello goodbye. They bid adieu to the AFC Challenge Cup; in 2010 the Azkals became overnight sensations when they advanced to the semifinals in the Suzuki Cup by eliminating defending champion Vietnam.
In Tajikistan, the Azkals faced the last hurdle before successfully scaling their mini Mt. Everest.
After the first half, defeat stared the Azkals squarely in the face.
They trailed 1-nil.
In football, one goal is as precious as gold.
In football, a 1-0 deficit is almost as insurmountable as a 10-point margin held by the enemy in a basketball game with a minute remaining.
No matter the talent you have on your side, a rally, a comeback, is not that easy to achieve.
Skills and knowledge of the game, and scouting the opposition, aren’t the only ingredients in accomplishing any success.
Luck, which could only be provided most of the time by the gods of the game, is usually the ultimate decider.
Thus, in the end, the gods of sports still love the Azkals.
Proof: They made the Azkals 2-1 winner over Tajikistan.
You ram in 2 goals in the final half of a football match after being down 1-nil, that’s as close to scoring a miracle – if not a total miracle itself.
My take is, who else could have had the pure affection for the Azkals if not, yes, the football gods themselves?
The Azkals were playing in nippy winter in Kathmandu, the Nepalese capital where the bravest of mankind begin their climb of Mt. Everest.
But terrible weather and all, the weight of a case pending back home for two of the Azkals – the Fil-Chinese Lexton Moy and the Fil-Spanish Angel Guirado – is just too much to bear.
They are under investigation for an alleged sexual harassment complaint filed against them by Cristy Ramos.
The beauty of the Azkals’ 2-1 win over Tajikistan was, Guirado set up the Azkals’ first goal by assisting Phil Younghusband for the equalizer.
Then Guirado scored the marginal goal, completely pushing the Azkals to the semifinals of the AFC Challenge Cup – a first in Philippine football history.
Will Cristy now relent, feel happy about Guirado’s heroism, and recall her plaint and let bygones be bygones?
In sports, as in life, nothing is impossible.
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