AFC Asian Qualifiers
Mohanad Ali struck the winner in the 84th minute against a disciplined Philippines side playing for the first time under new head coach Tom Saintfiet with Casas proud of how his charges navigated a difficult situation.
"The match was complicated because of the Philippines’ style of play but we also wasted several chances and could have scored more goals,” said Casas.
"My team played according to the plans, but we were not lucky in the finishing, and what is important is that we win and get the three points.
"When you face a team who play defensively you feel the pressure, and this is what happened with us. But we were prepared for what happened and in the end I am happy with how we played.”
The win meant that Iraq remained perfect at the halfway stage on nine points, five ahead of Indonesia who picked up their first win after they edged Vietnam 1-0 at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium.
Just like the Iraq-Philippines tie, the Indonesia and Vietnam clash was a closely fought one with Egy Maulana Fikri’s second half effort deciding the outcome of the match.
In a match that saw debutants in Jay Idzes and Nathan Tjoe-A-On, Indonesia head coach Shin Tae-yong was pleased to see improving camaraderie and understanding within the game itself.
“In the first half, our game wasn't bad but perhaps it wasn't as compact because there were several new players,” said the Korean tactician.
"But in the second half, maybe because the longer we played we became more unified and we were able to show our best,
"I am very happy because we were able to win against Vietnam, and I am also very proud of the players who worked hard.”
Vietnam will seek revenge when they host Indonesia in the reverse fixture at My Dinh National Stadium in Hanoi on Tuesday. .
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