Azkals face acid test vs Kuwaitis

KUWAIT – To say that the Azkals are in for the biggest match of their lives against Gulf power Kuwait in the second round of the 2014 Fifa World Cup Asian Qualifiers is an understatement.

“It’s going to be massive,” said Fil-British defender Rob Gier of Saturday’s 7:30 p.m. match (12:30 a.m. Sunday in Manila), a miniscule event in the scheme of things yet meaningful for the hungry-for-recognition Azkals.

“(They’re) probably the best team we’ve played; coming to this country in this heat and their fans, and going against a very, very good team, yeah, it’s gonna be dificult for us,” added Gier who prepared a detailed scouting report on Al Azraq.

“But you know with the right application, the right tactic, I don’t see any reason why we can’t go away from here with the results.”

The fruits of a good result bode well for an Azkals team seeking to hurdle a certified football power and prove doubting Thomases that they are for real.

“If we get past Kuwait and even achieve a good result here, then it will cement, confirm the status of football in the country as a sports where internationally, we’ve a very good chance to be competitive and be recognized,” said team manager Dan Palami.

But first things first.

The Azkals (159th) have to deal with the more experienced, more skilled Kuwaitis (102nd) as well as the absence of skipper Aly Borromeo in the central defense.

The International Football Federation yesterday made Borromeo and Stephan Schrock’s suspension for tonight’s match final, a piece of news that Palami hoped should fire them up even more.

“Until the last minute, we had always hoped that that (upholding suspension) will not be the case. But we have to deal with reality and the game must go on, and it must go on with the available talents that we have,” said Palami.

“Nevertheless, the players that we have there are ready to fill in his shoes and we’ll just have to do better and be more ferocious and more tenacious. So I hope that this news, instead of bringing the boys down, will encourage them to do better and to raise their level of game tomorrow,” he added.

Coach Michael Weiss and his staff are deciding on their adjustments to a Borromeo-less right back and center, depending on how their practice set later in the night would go.

“Siya (Borromeo) yung pader ng depensa namin so malaking kawalan yun (Borromeo is a big loss since he’s the backbone of our defense),” said Ian Araneta. “Pero sa practice naman namin ina-anticipate na nila coach na pwedeng wala si Aly so nagawan niya ng adjustment. And andyan rin naman si Anton (del Rosario) at Rob (Gier) sa likod (But they have adjusted).”

Overall, Weiss declared his wards are battle-ready.

“We have to be ready. The team has been watching several DVDs/videos (of Kuwait) and we know how the opponent will play tomorrow and I’m positive. I’m always positive because I trust in the boys,” said Weiss.

Olmin Leyba, Philippine Star