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The Philippines went down to Kuwait last night in their World Cup Qualifier (Round 2) match with a final score of 3-nil. No excuses. The 10-time Gulf Champions were simply the better team. While it’s easy to analyze the match in front of our laptop screens, I’m sure the Azkals did their best under the circumstances. You’ve got to hand it to those guys. Last year they played in sub-zero temperatures in Ulan Bataar (AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers against Mongolia), last night they played Kuwait under the Gulf heat. Hey, all these experiences can only be good for football. For Philippine football fans, this is part of the long process of building up the quality of football in the country. For recent fans (bandwagoners) football excellence doesn’t happen overnight.
The beautiful game may be baffling to some because of the use of the feet and legs. It’s counter-intuitive. It’s just not natural. Our brains are wired to use our hands. Thus, the natural urge is to throw or wield something – a rock, a spear, a sword. The footballer needs to train his body to forego the use of his hands to be able to translate thoughts into action.
But once you step inside the pitch, it is understood that you have agreed to suppress this urge to take things into your own hands, and become part of a team. The result is simply beautiful to watch.
Because of the Azkals’ performance in the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup, football has enjoyed a renaissance in the recent months. As for me, I’ve always been afflicted with football fever.
Go Azkals! Win or lose, we still believe.
The 2nd match is scheduled on July 28, 2011 at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila.
