PH opens SEAG bid on high note, nips Thailand in water polo

Mummar Alamara scores, PH ahead 3-1 pic.twitter.com/RJlLaSUqqD

— Marc Anthony Reyes (@marcreyesINQ) August 15, 2017

KUALA LUMPUR — It was revenge of sorts for Philippine water polo team which drubbed Thailand, 9-7, Tuesday in the 29th Southeast Asian Games at Bukit Jalil National Stadium Aquatics Center here.

The team, which lost to Thailand (10-6) two years ago in Singapore, went all out from the first quarter to the last mainly through come-backing scoring machine Teodoro Roy Canete.

Canete exploded with six goals, two in the first three minutes of the match as the Philippines employed a punishing pressing offence which kept the ball as close as possible to the Thailand goal almost all the time.

The Philippines will next face host Malaysia on Wednesday at 9 a.m., hoping to do even better against last SEAG’s fourth-placed team.

“I think we can still do better,” said head coach Rey Galang after the match. “We are still not yet 100 percent. We can still improve.”

He said the country’s strong showing was direct results of their month-long training camp in Barcelona, Spain.

There the Philippines also beat Thailand in a scratch match as part of their training camp.

Galang said the Philippines worked on its third quarter showing where it led, 7-3, on Canete’s foray from the left flank.

“That’s always critical for us,” said Galang. “We need to have a very comfortable lead in the third to have it under control by fourth quarter.”

Galang also noted the superb performance of goalie and team captain Tani Gomez Jr., who made seven saves.

The Philippines was fifth place two years ago in the competition won by Singapore with Indonesia and Thailand placing second and third.