End of drought puts PH booters on path of Capellas’ system

The Philippines avenged an earlier defeat to Tajikistan. —CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

The Philippine men’s football team has a good reason to feel more optimistic after it finally put an end to a winless run that dates back to more than a year ago.

“[We can] only [think] of good things, only positive things,” Zico Bailey said after being one of the goal-scorers in the Philippines’ 3-0 win over Tajikistan on late Monday to take third place in the 50th King’s Cup in Songkhla, Thailand.

Bailey, Gerrit Holtmann and Jefferson Tabinas all found the back of the net in the second half as the Philippines avenged its loss to Tajikistan a month ago in a similar third-place match at the Merdeka Cup in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, while also winning for the first time since September 2023.

The victory snapped a drought spanning 10 straight matches—nine defeats and one draw—and came in just the second appearance of Albert Capellas as coach.

Offensive approach

And the result may also serve as a sign of how the Philippines can perform in the long run under Capellas, especially with the Asean Mitsubishi Electric Cup less than months away.

“I think we have the quality in this team, and the sky’s the limit,” said Bailey.

The King’s Cup served as an opportunity to get Capellas’ desire of having an offensive-minded approach in full motion.

In Friday’s 3-1 loss to host Thailand, the Philippines even tied things up in the second half when Bjorn Kristensen produced his first international goal with a left-footed strike before the Thais got the lead back.

Holtmann, playing for the Philippines for the first time since June 2022 in the third round of the Asian Cup Qualifiers in Mongolia, put the Filipino footballers ahead shortly after the restart when he fired a sensational strike from outside the box, a showcase of the quality he has shown in the German Bundesliga.

Tabinas doubled the lead with a header before Holtmann assisted Bailey, who came through with his first Philippine goal, to secure the final tally.

“We have made a lot of steps forward and I’m glad for them, especially with the short time that we have been together and how quick they have picked up; it’s amazing for me as a coach,” Capellas said. INQ