MANILA, Philippines – Heartbreak hammered Pinoys on a late Manila evening.
The Philippine men’s football team tasted its third draw in as many matches in the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup, settling at 1-1 against Vietnam on Wednesday, December 18, at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.
The draw put the Filipinos’ chances of advancing to the knockout stage in peril as it rendered their remaining away game versus Indonesia a must-win one.
Jarvey Gayoso, who got married the past weekend, missed the game against Laos in Vienttiane, but made up for lost time by delivering the Philippines’ go-ahead goal in the 68th minute, triggering a frenzied celebration from the Filipino crowd.
That celebration, however, only lasted about 30 minutes as the regional powerhouse Vietnam crushed the Philippines’ upset hopes with an equalizer late via Ngoc Tan Doan’s header off a corner set piece in the 97th minute.
“When I came back here, I just wanted to give back to the team for allowing me to be able to miss out on such an important game,” Gayoso said.
It was a missed opportunity for the Philippines to snap a 12-year drought against Vietnam, whose last loss against the Filipinos came in a 1-0 win in November 2012.
Before the 2012 win, the Philippines pulled off what has been dubbed the “Miracle in Hanoi,” where the Filipinos upset the Vietnamese on their home turf, 2-0, in the 2010 AFF Championship.
The victory has since been regarded as one of the most significant Philippine football moments of all time, as it ignited the country’s renaissance in the sport in the next decade.
With the draw, it was the closest the Filipinos had been to replicating Hanoi’s historic win on their home field.
Clinging to the one-goal lead, the Philippines looked impassable before Vietnam’s goal, as goalkeeper Patrick Deyto delivered two crucial saves in stoppage time.
However, Deyto, on his third try, could not secure a grip on his catch from the corner, allowing the Vietnamese to level late.
“Obviously, at 1-0 up, we just needed to hold… I think we defended very well today — just undone by one set piece,” Deyto said.
“[Set pieces] have been the Achilles’ heel of our team. We’ve conceded from three set pieces. As a goalkeeper, I’ve taken responsibility, I have to be better,” he added.
The Filipinos opened the tournament with a draw at home versus Myanmar, before settling for another stalemate against host Laos.
However, the Filipinos’ performance was a huge jump from their previous games, where they were trailing for most of the matches before saving themselves with a late goal.
“I felt everybody got heart today and everybody worked hard. That says a lot about the resilience of this whole team… These guys are a hardworking group,” Gayoso said.
With three draws, the Philippines dropped to fourth place in Group B.
The Filipinos will fly to Manahan Stadium in Solo City to take on Indonesia on December 21 for a final shot at a semifinal berth.
The Philippines has not beaten Indonesia in its last five meetings, claiming its last win back in 2014. – Rappler.com