Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Hanoi: Philippines kicked off the 2014 ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Championship on Saturday with a dominant 4-1 win over Laos in Group A at the My Dinh Stadium.
It was the Laotians who had taken the lead in the 21st minute courtesy of a lovely freekick from Khampheng Sayavutthi, but Philippines equalised five minutes before halftime when Simone Rota glanced home a Manny Ott corner.
Phil Younghusband then put the Azkals ahead in first-half stoppage time as he met Jerry Lucena’s left-wing cross and sent a precise header into the far corner.
Younghusband turned provider in the 77th minute when he lifted a through-ball into the path of Patrick Reichelt, who advanced on goal before finishing past Soukthavy Soundala.
And two minutes from time, the combination worked again as Younghusband delivered a lovely cross into the six-yard box for Reichelt to stab home, completing the rout in the process
In Saturday’s later game, Group A hosts Vietnam wasted a host of chances as they were held to a 2-2 draw by Indonesia.
Que Ngoc Hai had put the Vietnamese ahead after 11 minutes with a neat finish that looped over Kurnia Meiga and into the back of the net, but Garuda equalised three minutes after the half-hour mark when Zulham Zamrun pounced on a poor defensive header and rifled a shot home.
Vietnam did manage to reclaim the lead in the 68th minute when Le Cong Vinh latched onto a loose ball on the edge of the box, before sending a spectacular half-volley into the top corner.
But six minutes before the end, a horrible error from Vietnam goalkeeper Tran Nguyen Manh saw him allow a tame shot by Samsul Arif to slip through his legs and into the goal, which proved enough to help Indonesia seal a share of the spoils.
Photo: WSG