Greatwich stays upbeat

A veteran Azkals member believes the Philippines can pull off another “Miracle of Hanoi” against Vietnam in the second round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian qualifiers.

Former Azkals midfielder Simon Greatwich, whose brother Chris was part of the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup squad that made it to the semifinal for the first time, feels the current crop can get the job done once again.

“I played a few times and it was a tough place to go to. The stadium, the atmosphere and the fans are electric but the Philippine team has been unpredictable in the last 10 to 15 years,” said Greatwich, who coached the Italy Selection to a 2-2 (5-3) penalty shootout win over the Philippines U19 men’s team in the Philippines-Italy Friendship Cup last Tuesday at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium.

“I hope that they have good team morale and I hope they get more victories.”

Greatwich played 18 games for the Philippines and was on the roster for the 2014 AFF Suzuki Cup squad that made it to the semifinals before losing to eventual champion Thailand, 3-0, on aggregate.

The Philippines is competing against the Vietnamese in a must-win game at the My Dinh National Stadium in Hanoi as of press time.

Goalkeeper Neil Etheridge is the lone member of that 2010 squad who is still playing for the national team in Vietnam as the Nationals try to stay alive for a spot in the third round of the World Cup qualifiers.

As for coaching the friendly game, Greatwich was impressed to see both squads showcase their talents on the pitch.

“It was a really entertaining game. Just to observe the game overall. Loads of individual and team plays and the quality has a higher standard than I expected from both teams overall,” Greatwich said.

Italian Ambassador to the Philippines Marco Clemente was happy with the success of the competition and seeing both sides having fun and showing camaraderie to each other.

“Very happy, the organization was perfect, the atmosphere fantastic, we even won the cup, so how can you ask for more?” Cemente said.

“But all kidding aside, it was a very entertaining match, both teams deserved to win, but unfortunately it was only one. But it was very close, so it was a very very good game and it was the best example of friendship between our two teams.”