Cuadrat regrets ASEAN Cup loss

The Philippine national men’s football team feels that it deserves at least a draw after falling to Vietnam, 0-1, in the FIFA ASEAN Cup last Saturday at the Si Jalak Harupat Stadium in Indonesia.

National coach Carles Cuadrat said they matched Vietnam for much of the match and created enough chances to avoid defeat, only to concede from their foes’ first clear opportunity.

Nguyen Dinh Bac scored the lone goal in the 25th minute with a tap-in. The Philippines thought it had found the equalizer in the 83rd minute when Kenji Nishioka converted from close range, but the goal was ruled offside.

“Unfortunately, they scored in the first action that they arrived. And then, of course, it’s going to be difficult,” Cuadrat said. “Vietnam is a very good team in defense. We know that they don’t concede a lot of goals, ever. But we created chances.”

The loss put the Philippines at 0-1 in Group B and left the Nationals needing victories in their remaining matches to stay in contention for a medal in the inaugural tournament organized by the International Football Federation.

Only the top team from each group will advance to the final, while the second-best teams will meet for the bronze medal.

The Nationals will quickly turn their attention to Pakistan, whom they face on Tuesday at the same venue.

Cuadrat refused to take the Pakistanis lightly despite their 0-4 loss to Thailand.

“Now, it’s time to recover, to get ready for the game against Pakistan. We know it’s going to be a very difficult game,” Cuadrat said.

“We will just try to get points and try to be competitive until the end.”