After the euphoria of Tuesday night's win against Vietnam dies down, the Philippine Azkals needs to regroup and keep their focus as the team battles Myanmar at 9 tonight, to secure a semifinals seat in Group A of the AFF Suzuki Cup at the SCG Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
The game will be aired live over AKTV channel.
An Azkals win or at least a draw will deliver them to the semis, while a loss will automatically eliminate the Philippine team from the tournament.
Going into tonight's game, the Azkals carries three points under their name, while Myanmar and Vietnam have a point each. Thailand tops the Group with six points.
While the Filipinos are favored to triumph following their 1-0 victory against 2008 champion Vietnam , the Philippines had never beaten Myanmar before, football records show.
To beat Myanmar , the Azkals will have to once again strengthen their defense, as even Vietnam coach Phan Thanh Hung cited this as a factor in Tuesday's match-up.
In a post-game press conference, Hung said the Philippines defense made it difficult for the Vietnamese to execute their play.
He said the Azkals defended well and made it hard for his team to break their defense and create chances to score.
Meanwhile, coach Michael Weiss will be once again coaching the Filipinos after serving a one-game suspension Tuesday.
After the overwhelming win against Vietnam, Weiss credited the team for playing like “lions and warriors, and lauded the subs – Chieffy Caligdong and Angel Guirado, who blended well and made the lone goal of Caligdong possible in the 85 th minute.
Weiss said that their strategy was to play defense and counterattack but the subs gave the team freshness that changed the tempo of the match.
He also cited the entire defense and midfielder Patrick Reichelt for their contribution to the win.*NAB
back to top |