The three consecutive 1-1 draws produced in the Asean Mitsubishi Electric Cup could serve as a sign that the Philippine men’s football team is either due for a win or due for a fatal heartbreak.
“We don’t settle for draws. That’s the mindset,” veteran defender Amani Aguinaldo said as the Filipino side seeks a place in the semifinals amid difficult odds on Saturday night against Indonesia to close the group stage in Surakarta.
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Coach Albert Capellas’ team must secure the maximum three points and nothing less in the 8 p.m. (9 p.m. Philippine time) encounter coupled with a Myanmar draw or loss to favorite Vietnam in Viet Tri to book a return place to the semis for the first time since 2018.
Another frustrating tie, and obviously a defeat to the Indonesian squad that elected to field mostly players from the under-22 pool, will leave the Philippines with plenty of what-ifs and regrets to ponder.
“We need to win, it doesn’t matter how,” said Aguinaldo, who has experienced two semis appearances in the Asean Championship since his international debut in the 2014 edition.
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No room for error
To qualify, the Philippines must put out a performance that will exceed what was seen against Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam, the last game nearly leading to a victory on a Jarvey Gayoso goal only to concede an equalizer during the waning moments of stoppage time.
As much as mistakes have been glaring in those games, Capellas would rather have it than any other way.
“I will never blame a player for a mistake. Never,” he said. “I blame the players who don’t want the ball, I blame the players who don’t fight and I blame the players who don’t feel the shirt.”
The Philippines will enter Surakarta’s Manahan Stadium as perhaps the battered side, with Indonesia having the advantage of a lengthy rest since its last match was on Sunday when it fell, 1-0, to Vietnam on the road.
Indonesia and Myanmar have four points apiece, one clear of the Philippines, in the race for the second and final semis berth in Group B. Vietnam has already qualified with seven points by virtue of the draw at Rizal Memorial Stadium last Wednesday.
“The games come in very fast and we don’t have enough time to recover,” said Aguinaldo. “Coach wants to play the strongest team, and that means a lot of players can’t rest.”
The Philippines will be seeking a first win over Indonesia since 2014 when the then-Azkals produced a 4-0 result in the group stage of the Asean Championship in Hanoi, Vietnam.
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Since then, the Philippines had three draws and one defeat against Indonesia, with the last meeting being a 1-1 tie in the World Cup Qualifiers in November 2023 at Rizal Memorial.
Indonesia’s South Korean-born coach, Shin Tae-Yong, elected to insert younger players instead of his strongest squad that produced massive results at the World Cup Qualifiers.