It was a match that players and their coach thought they should have won, but there were still some positives from the PMNFT’s draw with Myanmar.
The Philippine Men’s National Football Team (PMNFT) ushered in a new era in front of their home crowd with a rather disappointing 1-1 draw against Myanmar in their maiden match in the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup 2024.
In a match where they dominated possession and had a small but nonetheless boisterous crowd of 1,585 heartily cheering their every attack, the Philippines could only manage to split the points with their visitors.
The PMNFT found themselves trailing early after Maung Maung Lwin converted on a set piece from just outside the box that left keeper Patrick Deyto flatfooted. The hosts came close several times to finding the equalizer before the halftime whistle blew, but just couldn’t see it through.
The PMNFT dodged a huge bullet the 63rd minute when Ye Yint Aung’s goal from close range was reversed after a video-assisted replay (VAR) showed him to be offside.
Around 10 minutes later came the equalizer they had been hunting for since the first half. Bjorn Kristensen gathered a brilliant through ball by Sandro Reyes and was fouled by keeper Zin Nyi Nyi Aung inside the box, resulting in a penalty. Kristensen calmly converted from the spot to notch his third international goal and level matters up in the 72nd minute.
The Philippines had several other chances to grab the lead in the latter part of the match, but were thwarted time and again.
What stood out
It’s just been one match in the tournament, but the early returns indicate that new coach Albert Capellas favors an attacking, crowd-pleasing style. He used a 4-1-4-1 formation, with Kristensen the lone attacker up front.
But the attacking midfielders were also impressive. Zico Bailey, Sandro Reyes, Jarvey Gayoso and later on Javier Mariona and Patrick Reichelt were like Energizer Bunnies, constantly moving and attacking and terrorizing the Myanmar defense. Bailey, in particular, never seemed to tire and was always in the middle of the action.
Meanwhile, Kristensen showed why there is excitement surrounding his inclusion in the national team. At just 22 and with only six caps so far, he has already scored three international goals.
“We want to go far but we have to take one game by one game,” he said. “We have a good squad and there are a lot of positive things here. We just need to score and you will see the potential.”
“Tonight we show that something is changing,” said defender Christian Rontini, who came in for veteran Amani Aguinaldo in the second half. “The mindset. The attitude. And this is important. Because more than talent, it’s important to cultivate the right values.”
Should have been a win
Ultimately, though, the result was a bit of a downer. The single point puts the Philippines behind group favorites Vietnam and Indonesia, meaning the PMNFT almost certainly needs to beat at least one of those teams and hope the other matches’ results fall in their favor to advance. They did get some help, though, from traditional cellar-dwellers Laos, who held Indonesia to a surprising 3-3 draw in Surakarta.
“We gave away even more chances because of us, not because they deserved it,” Capellas said. “It was our own lack of concentration. That means we have to be smarter, we have to protect ourselves in the back.
“Because then you give hope to the opponent. And that is what they got, they got hope. Because we allowed them to have hope. And then it was more up and down again. We lost the control, still we had chances to win the game. But we couldn’t score.”
The match statistics showed that the final scoreline flattered Myanmar. The PMNFT dominated possession 62% to 38%, had more shots on goal 8 to 4, and shot attempts 23 to 8.
“We had so many chances,” rued Rontini. “We can finish in a much better way. We should have killed the game in the first half. But in football, there are many possibilities. We didn’t take ours and we gave hope to the opponent. I think this is part of our journey, of the process.”
Added Kristensen: “It was always frustrating. We had the chances and we should score easy as that. So now we have to go and practice and hopefully, we’ll score more goals against Laos.”
The future both near and far
Up next for the PMNFT is an away match against Laos on the 15th and another home game on the 18th against Vietnam. Every point in Group B has become even more important following Laos’ draw with Indonesia. All five teams now have at least one point, with Indonesia in the temporary lead with four points from two matches. Idle Vietnam is second with three points in one match, while Myanmar, Laos and the Philippines each have one point.
Against Laos, Capellas wants to see improvement in several areas.
“Especially in the control, in our build-up, in the defense. To move the ball faster. Get better positions. When we play the ball to the keeper or to the central back, move the ball a little bit faster. Not bouncing balls. Flat passes.”
Looking at the rest of the tournament and beyond, Capellas appeals for patience.
“What we are doing is not easy,” he said. “We are changing everything. And it’s a process. To build a team, it takes one, two years to stay together. With very few trainings. With very few games.”
Rontini has been a PMNFT regular for the past five years, and during this time he has literally seen several coaches come and go. Now, for the first time, he’s seeing signs of stability.
“Since 2019, I see many coaches pass by. Many players pass by. And I think now we are creating something special. As a group, as a mindset, as a game. And I believe that we can do great things in the near future and the long future.”
Banner Images from the PFF.