Schneider powers Phl past Maldives

Randy Schneider made an immediate impact in his Philippine Team debut as they beat Maldives, 4-1, in the third round of the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers last Tuesday at the New Clark City Stadium in Tarlac.

With an assist to Bjorn Kristensen in the 19th minute and a goal in the 77th minute to his name, the 23-year-old Filipino-Swiss midfielder made the most out of his debut after cracking the starting unit.

Schneider, whose mother hails from Mandaluyong City, said he loved the atmosphere that the crowd gave, firing him up to blend well with the rest of the squad.

“They are amazing guys, really nice guys and I just want to help them with the experiences that I have, I hope we can get better,” Schneider said.

“For the National team? It’s always special. In front of the home crowd? It’s more amazing.”

The Filipinos will continue their campaign in the qualifiers when they face Tajikistan on 10 June.

Schneider hopes he will be able to get called up again to play for the Philippines.

“I hope I’m available. If I am, I will come,” Schneider, who plays for FC Winterthur in the Swiss Super League, said.

“The Philippine team has welcomed me since the first day, so I hope I can continue like this.”

Sandro Reyes, one of the veterans of the national team, lauded Schneider’s impact as they look to continue their momentum in the Asian Cup qualifiers as they lead Group A with a 1-0-0 win-draw-loss record.

Only the top teams per group will qualify for the 2027 Asian Cup that will take place in Saudi Arabia.

“They just showed their quality. There’s a reason why they play in such top clubs in Europe,” Reyes said.

“We can always be better. But now we have a lot of time to analyze this game and see where we can improve.”