Heartbreak in Munich for Bayern, Fairy Tale for Chelsea

Chelsea lift their first UEFA Champions League Trophy.

*chelseafc.com

What started out as a fairy tale for Bayern Munich ended up as a nightmare when they lost to Chelsea FC last night in a thrilling UEFA Champions League Final in their home stadium.

The journey to the Allianz Arena was long and hard for both teams and Bayern Munich were able to achieve the difficult task of making it to the finals in a year when it will be held in their home arena.

Chelsea didn't have it easy either. They were down 3-1 in the first leg of their clash against Napoli in the round of 16 and clawed their way back to a 5-4 aggregate win after current manager Roberto di Matteo took over.

Bayern poised to win.

Last night however, it looked like Bayern Munich were going to walk all over Chelsea. In the opening minutes of the first half, it was evident that the German team would dominate. Chelsea were reduced to a defensive position as Bayern kept their attack in high gear.

It looked like it was only going to be a mater of minutes before Bayern will find the back of the net. However, Chelsea showed extreme class under pressure and were able to hold on to finish the half at nil-nil.

Bayern take the lead.

The second half saw Chelsea recovering a little bit as they were able to at least bring the ball forward a bit more and were finally able to make attempts at goal which didn't really trouble Manuel Neuer.


Robben and Schweinsteiger were able to make several more attempts between them but a very low percentage of the shots were on target. Despite the fact that Chelsea had to defend rigorously, Petr Cech's goal was not threatened as much as it should have been.

Eventually, Bayern were bound to get through and score considering the amount of possession they were getting. It happened in the 83rd minute when the ball was expertly headed in by Thomas Muller to outsmart Cech.

With less than 10 mins to go, Bayern felt like they had it in the bag and started to shift to a defensive position.

Momentum shift.

With Bayern shifting focus to defense, Chelsea took advantage. They brought in Fernando Torres from the bench and he immediately made an impact. Chelsea needed to score and they chose the perfect opportunity to bring the striker in. He immediately  penetrated the defense and created a corner for Chelsea.

Drogba spoils the fairy tale.

With only two minutes in regulation time left before Bayer were to lift the trophy, Didier Drogba was able to hammer in a superb header off a Torres corner to level the match.

Bayern were visibly devastated. However, from hero to zero, Drogba made a silly challenge that awarded Bayern with a penalty kick. Lucky for him, Petr Cech played the match of his life and save the penalty attempt by Arjen Robben to force extra time.

Chelsea breathe new life.


With Torres fresh off the bench and everyone elated from their goal, Chelsea were  raring to get on with extra time while Bayern looked drained after having the win snatched from then in the closing minutes.

Extra time shifted to Chelsea's favor but Bayern had their opportunities as well. They were unable to shoot straight at the target though despite being able to penetrate the Chelsea defense several times.

Penalty shoot-out. 


Bayern has a much better record at penalties compared to Chelsea and after taking out Real Madrid through penalties in the semis, they were the favorites to take the trophy.

Unfortunately for them, it was not meant to be. Even as they took the early lead when Neuer saved the first Chelsea attempt and even scored a penalty of his own, Petr Cech answered back and stopped to level the points and force a sudden death final kick.

Schweinsteiger took it for Bayern and Cech delivered again when he was able to touch it just enough to force it into the post. Everything was left up to Didier Drogba to take it for Chelsea and he did exactly that. The absolute hero of the match along with Cech, Drogba defeated Neuer to score the winning penalty.

A completely devastated Bayern team were forced to languish in the pitch in front of their home fans as Chelsea celebrated their first ever UEFA CHampion League trophy.

Loyola Meralco Sparks Excel in Singapore!

The Loyola Meralco Sparks opened the RHB Singapoe Cup with a hard fought 2-1 win over home team Geylang United.

*photo: www.facebook.com/azkalspilipinasfutbol 

The match nearly started in disaster as Geylang almost scored after a free kick was deflected by the wall but hit the corner of the post. Just a few inches and it would have hammered in and destroyed Loyola's morale early in the game.

However, the post saved them and Loyola was able to make several attempts on goal with Mark Hartman and even Phil Younghusband showing that he has the ability to penetrate the defensive line.

After an amateurish defensive mistake by the Loyola Meralco Sparks,  Geylang United finally scores in the 42nd minute when the ball was left gift-wrapped and just waiting to be kicked in after a blocked attempt by Geylang. Michael King just needed to help the ball in while the Loyola players looked on.

At the half, The favored Singaporeans were up by one goal.

The second half was a different story however, as Mark Hartman was able to score after the Sparks here able to control the pace of the game from the beginning of the half. The Geylang Offense was unable to match their first half prowess and the cross of substitute David Cortina allowed Hartman to finish perfectly from close range in the 64th minute.

The heat in Singapore proved to be a major factor as the Sparks seem to be going out of the Loyola team late into the game and more and more players looked exhausted. Loyola players were dropping like flies due to cramps. Both teams started messing up their passes and the tempo started to fall.

Despite several more attempts at goal, no one was able to score again to end regulation time at a 1-1 draw. The teams soldier on for a 30 min. overtime with everyone looking drained and positively exhausted.

Both teams were not playing well but the Loyola Sparks were able to force an attack. Luck for Mark Hartman, a long distance shot was deflected off a Geylang defender which left their keeper wrong footed giving Loyola the lead in the 5th minute of overtime. Geylang answered quickly with their own attempt just a minute later and Loyola keeper Cuaresma needed to get his A-game up to maintain the lead.

In the second period of overtime, the Geylang Eagles dominated the game putting a lot of pressure on Cuaresma and the entire Loyola defense. With the Singaporean team taking it up a notch, Loyola suddenly showed the beginnings of a collapse with dismal passing and a lackluster over-all performance. The players looked tired and distracted.

The Loyola goal was peppered by shots and they needed all the energy, luck and skills they had left to keep the ball out. Cuaresma was beaten in a golden opportunity but it was knocked into the side netting.

A good result for Loyola considering how Geylang was the favorite to win this match. A good achievement as well for the UFL and Philippine football in general as this proves that our teams can be competitive at least in the Asian level.

Check back here for updates on the upcoming Singapore Cup games.The UFL resumes after the series of international games, exhibition matches and international friendlies scheduled bu the Philippine Azkals and the various Clubs.

Filipino Driver Marlon Stockinger gets on the Podium in Barca.

Filipino-Swiss GP3 driver Marlon Stockinger made waves last weekend when he landed second in the GP3 race in the Circuit de Catalunya. Never before has a Filipino driver been this successful so close to Formula One. Step Aside Matteo Guidicelli, Stockinger is the real deal!

*marlonstockinger.com

After qualifying fifth, Stockinger ended up on second place 2.6 seconds behind the race winner. Driving for Status Grand Prix, Marlon feels that he is in a competitive team and has a chance at winning races. This could be our chance to finally get the Philippine flag in Formula One!

Pastor Maldonado Becomes First Venezuelan to Win in F1

Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain-It all started in qualifying when Maldonado unexpectedly bested the big teams and took his Williams up to the second spot in the grid. However in a bizarre mistake made by the McLaren team, pols sitter Lewis Hamilton ran out of petrol  on the way back to the pits after his flying lap.

*photo by planetf1.com

Race stewards docked Hamilton with a penalty which sent him to the back of the grid giving Maldonado a surprise promotion to pole. Now on second, Alonso took advantage of the start and got ahead but was outsmarted by the Williams team during the pit stops.

With Maldonado in the lead, he made Alonso eat his dust the rest of the way in front of a very partisan Spanish crowd. Meanwhile, Flying Finn Kimi Raikkonen fought hard to make it back to the podium for the second race in a row, not bad for a returning driver. By the last lap he was right on the tail of Fernando Alonso. The Lotus team clearly made a good investment right there.

To the delight of the Williams team, their championship hopes have been revived after a dismal string of seasons. with different drivers and teams winning each race so far this season, this is proving to be one of the most competitive seasons in decades!

Overseas-based AZKALS return

The following AZKALS who are currently based overseas have confirmed their participation in the upcoming International friendlies:


Paul Mulders
Manny Ott
Dennis Wolf
Rob Gier
Juani Guirado
Neil Etheridge
Stephan Schrock
Jerry Lucena
Dennis Cagara
Roland Muller (GK for June 1)


This team is going to be strong!!! We Believe!

AZKALS Schedule for Upcoming International Friendlies

In the off-season of the UFL, The PFF has scheduled several matches for the Philippine Team


June 2012 Schedule for the Philippine AZKALS


Opponent      Location           Date




Malaysia       Kuala Lumpur   June 1 
Indonesia      Rizal Memorial  June 5
Guam           Panaad             June 12

Manchester City wins the BPL in Thrilling Fashion

The Barclays Premier League has been decided on goal difference and Manchester City has come out on top for the first time since 1968.

In a thrilling simultaneus match-up between the leaders, City went against QPR, a team in danger of relegation with the title almost certainly in the bag. However, United scored an early goal against Sunderland with a header from Wayne Rooney. City only needed to get as many points as United to win the title and just before halftime, Mancini's side scored a goal against QPR to level with United.

It looked like it was going to be a thrashing as City held posession for over 80% of the match but the school bus defense and absolute heroics of QPR keeper Patrick Kenny denied another goal for the title contenders. In a bizaare twist, Cisse managed to score a goal for QPR despite having next to zero posession. With United winning, City went on a desperate dash for a goal. Unfortunately for them, the focus on attack left them wide open on the defensive angle and QPR miraculously pounded another goal in at the 68th minute to lead 2-1. Even a draw would not be good enough for City and at the end of regulation time, it seemed like all was lost as Kenny and the rock solid defense of QPR held on to their lead. They were after all, also fighting to stay in the top tier.

Five minutes of stoppage time was given which might be the only questionable call that I can recall in the match. It was an otherwise clean match apart from the red card given to Joey Barton after hitting Tevez in the face. No other delays occured in the second half to warrant a five minute extension but it turns out, it was a death warrant both for United's hopes and for QPR's win.

After only 75 seconds of stoppage time, City finally found the back of the net courtesy of Edin Dzeko. This got the team's hopes up but it was a tremendous feat. Having been unable to score for the entire second half, they needed two goals in five minutes and they got just that. With less than two minutes remaining, Diego Maradona's son in law Aguero showed the old man that he could play ball too when he fired one past Kenny to the delight of the home crow who were already in tears in the face of defeat.

The trophy and medals wete already at the Etihad Stadium and it makes me wonder if they would have airlifted everything if United came out on top? It was Mancini's night and this time, he may be the league's noisiest manager but he certainly has something to shout about.