Philippine Football
By CRAIG BURROWS and ROY MOORE
The Philippines drew a well-fought game with Myanmar in what was truly a game of two halves. The first half ended goalless after several chances for Myanmar who dominated the early exchanges. Pai Seo in particular shone for the hosts as he broke down the wings and played some great crosses which the Azkals found difficult to clear. He got through himself a few times but he shot over on each occasion when more composure could have given Myanmar the lead.
In the second half, though, the Azkals really fought back and dominated until the final few minutes. The turning point was when Guirado played a fantastic chipped through ball for substitute Barsales to run onto. Through on goal he was clattered by the onrushing goalkeeper who was sent off for the foul. James Younghusband converted the penalty as the crowd roared putting the Azkals in front with twenty minutes left.
The Azkals pushed forward and nearly scored a second to kill the game, but in the last minute Myanmar won a free-kick from 25 yards out which was laid off and drilled into the corner by K M Lwin. Soon after the final whistle went and the local fans chanted and cheered as both teams pondered what could have been.
Pre-match observations
Before the game the Azkals seemed relaxed at the hotel, playing keep-uppy in the lobby and nearly breaking several vases at the reception desk. Even goalkeeper Neil Etheridge showed his skill, juggling the ball in the air. The team went on to the stadium to warm up and hear from their Manager and Coach but the journey itself was interesting. On one side of the road was a parking lot in progress and a golf resort while the other had beautiful natural scenery and lakes, displaying the development and beauty of Myanmar.
At the stadium the teams warmed up to a great reception from the local crowd. Respecting a one-minute’s silence for the victims of the Japanese earthquake, the national anthems were played and the game began with great expectations.
The Philippines began with the earlier predicted 4-2-3-1 formation but both teams were cagy, battling hard in the midfield for the ball and the goalkeepers were called into action early taking crosses into their areas comfortably. But it was Myanmar who found their rhythm first as Pai Soe was sent clear after just 9 minutes, spurning the chance by hitting it wide of the onrushing Etheridge and the goal with his left foot.
Strong first half for Myanmar
After that it was one-way traffic as Myanmar broke down the Philippine defence with fluid football, through balls and crosses sent Pai Soe and Min Min Tun through on goal. Fortunately for the Azkals both players shot over as Myanmar rued their missed opportunities.
The Philippines showed flashes of counter-attacking football though, Guirado particularly looked classy as he took on a player to cross in for Chieffy, but the goalkeeper managed to dive on the ball first. But when the half-time whistle blew the Philippines went into the break relieved they were still on level terms.
Azkals push forward in the second half
Whatever Coach Weiss and Manager Palami said at half-time, though, worked magnificently as they dominated the early exchanges in the second half. Guirado particularly threatened on the right wing, coming across to take on his man and threaten Myanmar’s goal.
The Azkals continued to push but couldn’t manage to find the killer ball, several promising chances breaking down in the final third. That was until Guirado played a wonderful chipped through ball for Barsales to run onto fifteen minutes before the end. The goalkeeper rushed out and clattered into Barsales and was given a red card for blocking the goal-scoring opportunity.
Barsales had to be replaced but James Younghusband stepped up to coolly slot the ball into the bottom right corner past the outstretched goalkeeper.
The Azkals pushed on with their lead looking to kill the game and almost did several times as Guirado showed great class to take it past several defenders at once and set up chances. Tuason had, replaced the injured Barsales, who was himself a substitute for Chieffy after he was stretchered off, and he, managed to beat a couple of players before shooting straight at the goalkeeper, but he may have been better passing to one of the other two players in better positions.
In a rare foray forward, however, Myanmar managed to win a freekick in stoppage time for a foul 25 yards from goal. Cleverly worked round the wall it was laid off to K M Lwin who shot low and hard past the despairing Neil Etheridge, who had done well to keep the Philippines in the game in the first half.
Post-match comments
After the game Myanmar’s Serbian coach Zivadinovic Milan fumed at the team’s performance and apologised for not delivering a win. In the first half Myanmar should have been winning by a “minimum 3-0” he said, clearly annoyed as he declared that he was “not happy with the result”. His warning to the players sounded as he said that “If the players play like they did in the second half, I will get young players from the Olympic team, believe me”.
Following the Myanmar Coach, Azkal Coach Michael Weiss did admit that in “in the first half Myanmar could have been away from us, maybe 2-0”. Disappointed at the late timing of the equaliser he conceded “in the end it’s the correct result” as both teams dominated half of the game in which they had a multitude of chances to score.
Reflections and expectations
The way the Philippines played in the second half will bring great optimism to the fans, though, as if they perform like that in the remaining two games they should qualify from the group stages. There are some worries about players as Chieffy Caligdong came off injured and Bersales, who won the penalty, was also immediately substituted following the foul. As news comes in we will update you on this situation.
It seems a fair result for a game of two halves. Myanmar dominated the first and had several great chances to score but couldn’t compose themselves in front of goal. The hosts of the AFC Challenge Cup Group Stage then found themselves on the back-foot as the Philippines came out fighting and showed their true spirit in the second half. Winning and converting the penalty it looked like the Philippines had done enough to snatch the win against 10-man Myanmar until the stoppage time freekick from Lwin equalised leaving the Azkals with no time to find a winner.
Though no-one won, and some feel like they should have, there is a lot for both teams to take away from this game as we enter the week of the Challenge Cup group stages. Now both teams will reflect on what went well and what they can improve on as they both have great chances to qualify for the next round. Credit must also go to the fans of Myanmar and the Philippines who were all very respectful and contributed to a great game of football as well as the Myanmar Football Federation and everyone involved in officiating the game.
Internet difficulties
A final word about coverage here, it must be noted that internet is very slow and is cut off at times meaning that coverage on everyone’s live twitter coverage had frequent gaps. We thank you for understanding the difficult nature of the reporting and if you wish to receive the possible live updates for the remaining games against Bangladesh and Palestine then follow @craigburrows and @roymondous on twitter.
pinoyfootball.com's Man of the Match
Philippines: Angel Guirado Aldeguer
Myanmar: Pai Soe
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