The Philippine Azkals defeated the host team Maldives in the 2014 AFC Challenge Cup semi-final match on Tuesday night at the capital city of Male in Maldives with the final score at 3-2. The game was held at the National Stadium and the winner will face Palestine in the Finals of the Challenge Cup.
Watch the highlights video of Azkals vs. Maldives:
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IyiARjc3zU
The victory of the Philippine Azkals in the AFC Challenge Cup is the first time for the country to compete in the highly anticipated Finals with the winner of the competition will represent the emerging football nations in the prestigious Asian Cup 2015 which will be hosted by Australia.
Phil Younghusband and Jerry Lucena scored one goal each in the first half for the Philippines, but the sweetest goals among the Azkals players was Chris Greatwich’s goal in the 104th minutes of the match that put the Philippines through the final of the tournament.
Fil-German goalkeeper Roland Mueller also made an outstanding performance in the semi-final match with his spectacular saves, including the most difficult situation, a penalty save for the Azkals.
The Azkals win particularly the goal scored by Chris Greatwich is another achievement for him, he was also credited as one of the goal scorer in the historic 4-1 victory over powerhouse Vietnam during the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup.
When the game was extended after deadlock and the Azkals appeared to lost some hope to win in the extra minutes, it was Chris Greatwich who displayed his football brilliance who converted Partrick Reichelt’s shot in the 104th minutes to make it 3-2 in favor of the Philippines.
Watch the complete video of the Azkals vs. Maldives:
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7USUJ87am6A
