SEA Games: Ina Flores gives PH 5th gold; U23 Azkals bid medal hopes goodbye

MANILA, Philippines—The Philippine Under 23 Azkals’ bid in the 26th Southeast Asian Games football tournament ended after a 0-5 thrashing from Myanmar Sunday at the Lebak Bulus Stadium in Jakarta, Indonesia.

The Azkals, whose only victory in the competition came versus Laos last Friday, were punished for their poor defense, which immediately led to a 2-0 deficit at halftime.

But even just a minute into the second half, the Filipinos conceded another goal, which virtually cut off their chances to advance to the medal round, before Myanmar netted two more points.

The U23 Azkals, at fourth in the group of six with three points built around a win and three losses, needed to win versus the Burmese side and Brunei, and hope for a confluence of events, to keep their flatlining bid alive.

Meanwhile, Ina Flores added another gold while two swimmers brought home two silvers to the Philippines’ medal haul in day two of the 26th Southeast Asian games Sunday.

Flores topped the women’s boulder wall climbing, while Jessie King Lacuna and Dorothy Hong in the 200 freestyle and 200 backstroke events, respectively.

The total medal haul as of 8:10 p.m. Sunday is 5-5-12 (gold, silver, bronze).