Phl booters test Laotian mettle

The national men’s football team goes up against a dangerous Laos side for a crucial win in the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup on Sunday at the New Laos National Stadium in Vientiane.

Kick-off will be at 6:30 p.m. (Manila time) with the Nationals seeking to improve their standing in Group B in which they are currently in the third spot with 0-1-0 win-draw-loss record.

The Philippines fired up their campaign in this prestigious regional tourney with a 1-1 draw against Myanmar last Thursday at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium.

Maung Maung Lwin gave the Burmese a 1-0 lead after scoring a free kick in the 25th minute before Bjorn Kristensen converted a penalty kick in the 72nd minute for the equalizer.

After scoring only one goal out of 22 attempts, Philippines head coach Albert Capellas wants his boys to be more mindful of their attacks.

“Today, we missed a big opportunity to win the game and that is why I’m disappointed because I think even with the mistakes that I made, I think the team really deserved to win that game,” Capellas said.

“I’m sad for them, not for me.”

Kristensen said they need to make their chances count after squandering their opportunities to take the lead against the Burmese.

“In football, you need goals. We created chances but we just need to score,” the Filipino-Norwegian forward said.

The last time the Filipinos clashed with Laos in the Mitsubishi Electric Cup was back in 2014 with a 4-1 win at the My Dình National Stadium in Hanoi.

But this year showed the Laotians can no longer be underestimated after forcing a 3-3 draw with powerhouse Indonesia last Thursday at the Manahan Stadium in Surakarta, Indonesia.

The match was the first time in 12 years that Laos, which currently has a 0-1-1 record in Group B, managed to put up a strong fight against the Indonesians in this tournament.

Phathana Phommathep emerged as the Man of the Match for Laos, making him the biggest thorn in the Philippines’ defense.

Aside from Kristensen, expected to step up for the Philippines’ offense are Jarvey Gayoso, Patrick Reichelt and Michael Baldisimo.