The Legacy Will Live On

WCQ Leg 2 Philippines vs Kuwait: July 28, 2011. I have to admit. I'm really not a football fanatic.. not until the Phil National Football team aka Azkals were making their name into the mainstream. I fell in love with the players first and then fell in love with the game.

Suddenly I found myself going to their m&gs whenever my sched allows me to, buying my fave Azkal's jersey. Raping my wallet and buying tickets for their home matches.

And then the WC dream came on. Round 2. It was a 3-nil during the first leg but I was pretty sure that they will bounce back.

Buying tickets was already a challenge and going to Manila for their game is tougher! There was a typhoon. I was really praying for the rain to go away while I'm off to travel, luckily when my feet landed at Vito Cruz, the sun was smiling brightly! I dropped of my bestfriend's condo and to my surprise, the sneak peek of their game is airing. A loooooooooooooooooooong line of people still trying to score some tickets, people wearing white, i said to myself "THIS IS IT!" I met my friends at Jollibee, glad they're wearing white too to show support. We're all stoked! Smiling like fools.

Rizal Stadium. Ahh. I can hear the drums! Each beat makes me more excited. I think my system went crazy that night. First agenda: FACE PAINT! I wasnt able to have one during their game against Sri Lanka so I really planned that a face paint is a must! We spent 30 minutes there just standing and waiting for it to be done. And just a couple of minutes before I heard the fans screaming since the Azkals bus is coming, it rained. *Good sign! If it RAINS, its FOUR! ;)  


We walked our way to the entrance, kala ko walang pila, I thought wrong! :)) From that long line of people wanting to watch the game, these players really had brought football era here in our country. And everyone's patiently waiting for their turn to come in. When we already found our seats we happily took turns of capturing the beauty of the stadium, cheering our faves, (I for James, Ely for Neil and Rhea for Anton ).

And as the game started, we were all giddy. Crowd was great. Every attempt made by our players makes our heart thump even more. Add to that the almost goal made by a Kuwaiti, it just hit the pole of the goal. hihi. Every move took our breath away. First half was almost ending including the stoppage time. "Kahi 1 goal lang, please" and poof! we just saw the ball made its way to the opponent's goal! CROWD WENT WILD! No exaggeration, we were teary eyed. :') That feeling was entirely surreal. We stand a chance! We firmly believe!

During the 15 min break, Posible and NOYPI were played. Ang sarap sa pakiramdam that everyone's proudly singing HOY! PINOY AKO!  Even in typing this, i get goosebumps. What more during the actual game.

Second half started. 3 more goals Azkals and we have it! But luck seemed to be on the Kuwaitis' side. Game ended at 2-1 in favor of Al Azraq. 5-1 for aggregate. Our friends hugged each other. The people standing beside us who became an instant friend also gave as a warm smile. Not bad team. Nice try.

Truth be told, I really admire our team, the way they tried to keep possession, defended and made attempts. I don't take is negatively as this is already the start of something bigger. As they say, each setback is a preparation for a come back. Maybe WC isnt for us now. Maybe in 4 years time. But if there's one thing that I'm certain of it's that Azkals are here to stay; their legacy will live on and most importantly, I/ We Still Believe.

Game's highlights: When Shrocky scored the goal, everyone went wild. NO exaggeration we're teary eyed. HAHA. Unexpected kasi eh :D During the 15min break, crowd's singing NOYPI. Ang sarap sa pakiramdam! :) And lastly, handshake with Manong Chieffy ♥ And that 'hi' and smiles from aly schrocky anton and angel ♥