Bjorn Kristensen’s penalty helps the Philippines salvage a draw against Myanmar in the Asean Mitsubishi Electric Cup . –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
The Philippine men’s football team could only lament on missing so many chances to open their Asean Mitsubishi Electric Cup campaign with a win, and the Filipinos will now have to play with much urgency after being held to a 1-1 draw by Myanmar at home.
“These are the kind of games that you have to learn how to win,” coach Albert Capellas said after Thursday’s Group B match at Rizal Memorial Stadium, where Bjorn Kristensen’s goal from the penalty spot with less than 20 minutes left in normal time allowed the Filipinos to eventually share the spoils.
READ: PH men’s football team settles for draw vs Myanmar in Asean Cup
Team Philippines will now have plenty of things to ponder on as they left for Vientiane the following day to face Laos, because the Filipinos had possession 61 percent and attempted 22 shots—eight of them on target—further adding to the frustration of missing out on getting the maximum three points.
“Hopefully, we will score more goals against Laos,” said Kristensen, who was fouled by Myanmar goalkeeper Lat Wai Phone before converting the spot kick.
Laos, however, came up with a shock result in Thursday’s other match by holding Indonesia to a 3-3 tie in Surakarta, and might go into the Philippines encounter on Sunday as the more confident side.
‘Happy days will come’
Myanmar score Maung Maung Lwin. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
“We’re a good team,” said Kristensen, whose goal was the third while wearing a Philippine shirt. “We made a lot of chances, but in the end, you have to score goals. So we will work on that and happy days will come.”
Another aspect Capellas and company will also try to address are miscues that cost them to go behind 25 minutes in when Myanmar talisman Maung Maung Lwin scored off a free kick from 20 yards.
It came after the Philippines was pressed by Myanmar at the back, eventually resulting in defender Enrique Linares committing a foul that set up Lwin’s opener.
READ: Capellas has tempered expectations as PH opens Asean Cup bid
That mistake came after the Philippines had plenty of opportunities to go ahead with attempts from midfielders Alex Monis and Zico Bailey, with Kristensen also having his share of near goals.
“I’m very satisfied with the way we played in the first half because we stuck to the plan and we created a lot of chances,” said Capellas. “Of course, we conceded an unnecessary goal because it came from our mistake. But football is a game of mistakes, and in this case, the mistake punished us.”
The Philippines almost paid dearly for another miscue, when a counterattack allowed Lwin to find an unmarked Ye Yint Aung for what looked like a second goal for Myanmar past the hour mark.
But a check through the video assistant referee, which is being used for the first time in the competition, ruled that the substitute was offside and the goal was disallowed.
The draw put the two squads and Laos at one point each, still behind Vietnam with three points after its 4-1 conquest of Laos last weekend and group leader Indonesia, which has four after two matches. I