Philippines vs. Vietnam
story and pics by rick olivares
Thus far, the 2010 Suzuki Cup can best be described as surprising.
In Group A action in Jakarta, hosts Indonesia surprisingly thrashed Malaysia 5-1. Laos, on of the last countries to qualify for the Final Rounds, drew with Thailand 2-2 to spoil former English Premier League great Bryan Robson’s Suzuki Cup debut.
Over at group B play in Hanoi, Vietnam, tournament favorite Singapore could only muster a point after the Philippines’ Chris Greatwich scored in the fourth minute of stoppage time for a 1-1 draw and the respect of teams in Group B that are competing in Hanoi.
Defending champion Vietnam opened its defense of the crown they first won in 2008 with a 7-1 thrashing over Myanmar.
Philippines head coach Simon McMenemy said that the results “clearly show that there is significant improvement in the game by the other countries in the region. That can only mean good for the game.”
“The Philippines,” warned Vietnam’s Portuguese head coach Henrique Calisto prior to the start of the tournament, “is quiet. There is that saying about silent waters running deep. They could be the surprise of the tournament.”
After their stunning opening match against the Lions, three-time winners of the Asean region’s prestigious tournament, the Philippines’ secret is out. And Vietnam and Myanmar will surely not be caught off guard by the passionate game displayed by the Filipinos.
The Vietnamese showed an impressive counter-attack against Myanmar where as many as six players would go on the offensive every time out. The result was Nguyen Anh Duc and Nguyen Trong Hoang scoring a pair of goals while Nguyen Minh Phuong, Le Tan Tai, and Nguyen Vu Phuong each chipped in a goal.
“We know they are quick and like to attack in numbers,” said McMenemy of Vietnam. “We have to be able to have better ball retention and offer something back upfront so they have to think twice about attacking in numbers. But we have to play with a lot of organization and discipline.”
The Philippines will count on strikers Ian Araneta and Phil Younghusband who will get plenty of support from James Younghusband, Jason de Jong, Chris Greatwich, and Chieffy Caligdong.
The defense will be anchored by team captain Aly Borromeo who will have Anton del Rosario, Ray Jonsson, and Rob Gier in the back four with him. “We gained a lot of confidence from the way we played Singapore but we have to take it to another level if we want to do well against Vietnam,” offered Borromeo. “The home crowd who cheered for us against Singapore will now be against us. We have to block out that noise and play the game of our lives. We just want to take things one match at a time and not look far ahead. It’s a big game for sure.”
The Philippines will have to be at their very best if they want to secure some points with the tournament favorites who will have some 40,000 screaming fans filling up My Dinh National Stadium during match time at 730pm (Vietnam time and 830pm Philippine time) this Sunday December 5.
cheers to team philippines for a job very well done! hats off to u guys for your indomitable spirit!
ReplyDeletehow much are we paying for coach simon? whatever it is , i think he deserves every cent . for taking team philippines to where it is now, he deserves a nation's heartfelt thanks. thanks coach simon!