Jens Rasmussen had a home debut to remember for the Philippine Azkals.
Coming into the game at the 46th minute, the 20-year-old forward provided an assist at the 50th minute and scored at the 51st and 88th minutes to star in the Azkals’ 5-1 win over Brunei in the AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup 2022.
“It was amazing,” said Rasmussen. “I didn’t even think about it to get so many minutes at halftime.
“It was just amazing to help the team with two goals and one assist. I’m so proud of the team and the supporters. They helped us a lot.”
Coming off the bench and producing the same impact that Rasmussen made is hard to pull off.
What made it more impressive was that he replaced Kenshiro Daniels, who is currently the Azkals’ top scorer in the tournament with three goals in two matches.
“It was my first time playing at this stadium so I was a bit nervous but when I scored the first goal and made an assist, it helped,” he said.
“I can’t find any words for it. It’s just amazing.”
As it stands, the Azkals have three points after two games. For the Filipinos to make the semi-finals for the first time since the 2018 edition, they will need to beat the likes of Thailand and Indonesia.
The challenge may be daunting but more goals from Rasmussen will go a long way in helping the team reach the final four.
“I think this would help us a lot because now we know what we can do and we just have to show it again in the next match because if we work together, we are unstoppable,” he said.
