(This is the draft of my report for Sun.Star Cebu on PHL vs. Myanmar)AFTER an ecstatic win over Laos last Friday, the Philippines crashed out of contention for a semifinal spot in the Southeast Asian Games with a humbling, 5-0, thrashing from an eager Myanmar yesterday.
The win allowed Myanmar�whose senior team lost a spot in the final four of the last two Suzuki Cup courtesy of the Philippines�to catch up with favorites Vietnam at 10 points.
Vietnam, which beat the Philippines, 3-1, holds the lead with 12 goals, while Myanmar is second on 10.
The Philippines is fourth in the group of six with three points on a win and three losses, while Brunei, which lost to Vietnam, 8-0, is dead last with only a point from its 2-2 draw with Laos.
Laos, which was set to face third-placer Timor Leste late last night, is fifth with a point and a healthier goal difference.
The Philippines will play Brunei on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m., but both teams will be playing for pride only.
Fans seeking for a consolation may find solace that this year�s team has tied the 2005 team�s performance�three points on a win and three losses�but has a chance to improve on that as they go for nothing but pride against Brunei.
The Junior Azkals played well in the first 10 minutes�and even matched Myanmar in the first�half but an error by Muller in the 11th and a sleepy defense in the 42nd allowed Myanmar to take a 2-0 lead at half-time.
OJ had two great chances in the first half but OJ Portierra�s shot in the 32nd was saved, while Jeff Christaesens teasing floater from 21 yards in the 40th went straight to the keeper.
In the second half, the Junior Azkals did better offensively, managing to test the Myanmar keeper with a few long-range shots.
However, the same couldn�t be said of their defense, with Muller unable to stop a shot just 36 second after the break.
In the 56th, Joshua Beloya came in for Christaens and just five minutes in, the hero of the Laos win unleashed a wicked left-footer from 25 yards that was barely collected.
Mark Hartmann also tried his luck from long distance but his shot barely threatened the keeper and a minute later, things went from bad to worse for the Junior Azkals.
Manny Ott, who scored the first goal against Vietnam, got his second yellow for the night after a clumsy challenge and will miss the Brunei match along with Muller, who picked his second for the tournament.Cebuano Paolo Pascual is expected to take Muller's spot while it is still unsure who fills Ott's spot in the starting 11.
After yet another goal, Beloya went in for a prayer from a tight angle at the right flank but expectedly got saved.
Though the Philippines never gave in getting a consolation goal�with OJ Clarino showing nice hustle in the 89th, Myanmar made them pay in the counterattack with an injury time goal for the final count.
No comments:
Post a Comment