Indonesia advance to AFF Cup semifinals
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| Philippines' Philip Younghusband (3rd R) celebrates with his teammates after scoring against Vietnam during their ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Cup 2010 soccer tournament qualifying match at My Dinh National Stadium in Hanoi on Sunday - Photo: Reuters |
The Vietnamese side began the game with a changed lineup after a 7-1 trounce over Myanmar in their opener, as defender Doan Viet Cuong did not even make the list while the Philippines started the game with strongest players in their line-up.
Backed by the support from the local spectators, Vietnam put more pressure on their opponents from the beginning while the Philippines players played defensively and relied on rare counter attacks.
The home side had a dozen of scoring chances but their players also lost all the chances. Midfielder Pham Thanh Luong, captain Nguyen Minh Phuong and striker Nguyen Anh Duc nearly opened for their team in the first half but their kicks crossed over the goalpost or were denied by the Philippines goalie.
The Philippines side surprisingly took advance in the 38th minute in a rare attack as Greatwich easily defeated goalkeeper Duong Hong Son with an unstoppable header in the penalty box.
Vietnam continuously placed more pressure on the Philippines goalmouth after the goal but the visiting defense resiliently held out to keep a clean sheet. Unable to equalize, Vietnam ended the first half trailing by that one goal.
In the second half, Vietnamese footballers continuously placed stronger pressure on Philippines defending line but all their efforts did not pay off. However, Philip Younghusband doubled for the Philippines side in the 79th minute, ending Vietnam’s hopes in leveling the scoring gap.
Singapore beat Myanmar 2-1 in their second game in the group in earlier game. The Myanmar side surprisingly took the lead in the 13th minutes when Khin Maung Lwin scored for his team in the penalty area.
In the second half, Singaporean coach Radojko Abramovic made an important change with striker Agu Casmir coming in for Noh Alam Shah. The change prompted the Lion side to launch more attacks toward the Myanmar goalmouth throughout the second half.
However, the Myanmar defenders made many mistakes in the second half. Aleksandar had a good chance to open the score in the 60th minute and the naturalized striker easily beat goalkeeper Si Thu Thiha in a free kick from inside the penalty box before substitute Agu Casmir finalized the game at 2-1 in the injury time.
After two games, the Philippines and Singapore have four points each but the Philippines topped the standings of group B thanks to the goal difference. Third-placed Vietnam secured three points from one win and one loss, whereas Myanmar exited from the tournament with two losses.
With the loss, the Vietnamese players need a win to reach the semifinals when they face archrivals Singapore in a make-or-break match on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. while Philippines meet Myanmar in the same day at Thien Truong Stadium to secure another semifinal’s ticket.
* Hosts Indonesia secured the second win at the tournament after crushing underdogs Laos 6-0 at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium on Saturday to qualify for the semifinals of AFF Suzuki Cup by topping Group A while three-time champions Thailand were held goalless by Malaysia.
Indonesian captain Firman Utina opened the scoring in the 28th minute with a penalty kick and defender Muhammad Ridwan scored in the 34th minute, leaving the score at 2-0 upon the referee’s whistle at the end of the first half.
Firman Utina netted his second of the game in the 50th minute soon after Indonesia’s Gonzales had shot just wide of goal. Irfan Haarys Bachdim scored the fourth for his country in the 62nd minute.
Substitute midfielder Arif Suyono grabbed a fifth for the home team in the 76th before Okto Maniani finalized the game in the 80th minute.
In the earlier match, Thailand tied goalless with Malaysia though the 2008 runners-up had plenty of possession and goal-scoring opportunities.
Indonesia, who thrashed Malaysia 5-1 in their opener on Wednesday, have six points from two wins while second-placed Thailand have two points from two draws. Both Malaysia and Laos have one point each but the Malaysian side rank third thank to the goal difference.
Malaysia will meet Laos in the final game in the group stage on Tuesday while Bryan Robson-coached Thailand, who were held to a 2-2 draw by Laos in the opener, will need a victory against hosts Indonesia in their final group game in the same day to guarantee their progress to the last four stage.
