THE Philippine Azkals need all the support they can muster from Filipino football fans as country’s national football team play a crucial match on today (Tuesday) at the Rizal Memorial Stadium to boost its campaign for the Philippines’ first ever appearance in the AFC Asian Cup in 2019.
Those who can’t watch in the venue can watch and cheer for the Philippine Azkals live on LIGA and LIGA HD at 7:30 p.m. as the Azkals play for the final qualifier for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup. The Philippine side currently has nine points to top Group F, which also includes Yemen and Nepal, and will only need 1 point from a draw with Tajikistan to book its ticket to the AFC’s showcase event in 2019 at the United Arab Emirates.
The match comes after a close shave against Fiji, in an international friendly that saw the Azkals salvage a 3-2 victory thanks to a 61st minute goal by Kevin Ingreso off a failed clearance by the Fiji side. Other scorers for the Azkals in the match, which was also aired on Liga,were Phil Younghusband, who recorded his 49th international goal, and Pika Minegishi in the 49th and 52nd minute of the match.
Team manager Dan Palami told ABS-CBN Sports that while the squad they are facing may have lower rankings than the Azkals, with Tajikistan coming in at 124th, the team still needs the support of the home crowd to boost the confidence of the Azkals.
“We want the ‘12th man’ to be there in the Asian Cup qualifier match. This sport deserves all the support it can get, as we have already gone far, since 2010, when I took over as team manager of Azkals,” he said.
Local football fans are in for a treat as they can watch the matches on cable via LIGA, a 24-hour channel dedicated to provide sports fans in the country with premium content in sports like football, basketball, and volleyball. Since January 2018, viewers have been able to watch LIGA on standard definition on SKY cable channel 86, in high definition on SKY cable channel 183, and on Sky Direct channel 14. LIGA also broadcasts the intense UAAP Season 80 Men’s Football Tournament, and the upcoming 2018 FIFA World Cup RussiaTM.