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Wednesday, December 15, 2004
Pinoys score first Tiger Cup victory
A WIN at last.
Two late goals got the Philippines its first win in the Tiger Cup with a 2-1 comeback over East Timor in their Group B match in Malaysia late last night.
It was the first win of the country in international football since a 1-0 win over Malaysia in the 1991 Southeast Asian Games in Manila, and the first win in international soil since beating Brunie, 4-1, in the 1985 SEA Games.
The wards of Aries Caslib, the youngest head coach in the Tiger Cup, fought the East Timorese to a scoreless draw at the half and found themselves a goal down after Januario Do Rego struck in the 59th minute.
Fresh legs
Caslib brought in fresh legs and replaced Ariel Zerudo Jr. with Emilio Caligdong up front to pair with the sleek Ali Borromeo.
With time winding down, the chances slowly eroded but Caligdong buoyed their hopes after getting past keeper Diamantino Leong for the equalizer in the 90th.
Three minutes later, Caligdong scored again to seal RP team’s first win.
It is a positive sign for the Philippines, which has been plagued by breakdowns in the last 15 minutes of the match.
Boost to Casas
“It’s the same mentality (breaking down in the last minutes) that has always affected us,” Caslib was quoted in the Tiger Cup website. “We have a historical problem of crumbling in the last 15 minutes. The present line-up seems to have been affected by this same problem, but I believe we are improving and can do better.”
The win was a big boost to Caslib, the first Pinoy coach of the team as it was formerly handled by a Japanese and a Spaniard. It was also a big boost to the young Cebuano Michael Casas, who is playing in his first international tournament as first keeper.
However, Caslib said that Casas still needs a few improvements on his game.
In their first match, Casas conceded a late goal to allow Myanmar to escape with a 1-0 win. (ML)
(December 15, 2004 issue)
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