jiliko PH booters seek giant upset in bid to advance

Alex Monis and the Philippines vow to put up a brave effort at home against Vietnam. —CONTRIBUTED/PFF

Coach Albert Capellas believes the Philippine men’s football team deserves more than what it had earned, despite two draws that put their semifinal bid in the Asean Mitsubishi Electric Cup hanging in the balance.

But an upset win over powerhouse Vietnam on Wednesday evening at Rizal Memorial Stadium may give the shot in the arm the Filipino side is looking for, after bungling so many chances to get at least a win against perceived Group B tailenders Myanmar and Laos.

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“I think the players deserved more points,” Capellas said in Tuesday’s prematch press conference. “But this is the reality. We only got two points and we’re not happy with that.

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“But we have a fantastic chance to beat Vietnam, and if we beat Vietnam, we could have a good chance to qualify,” Capellas said. “We have to do the job tomorrow and I hope the players will do it.”

The Philippines could only come up with consecutive 1-1 ties in the first two matches of the group stage despite combining for 35 attempts, nine on target, and having dominated ball possession in both games.

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A loss or two was also a possibility after mistakes resulted in both opponents taking the lead in the first half, only for Bjorn Kristensen to convert a penalty against Myanmar and Sandro Reyes scoring a low shot versus Laos.

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An Alex Monis goal off a Reyes assist was nullified after the offside flag was raised against Laos.

“We have big respect for Vietnam, they’re the giants of Southeast Asia,” said Monis. “[But] we’re not afraid of them and we’re gonna go out there and try to give our best. We’re going to play the football we know how to play and stick to that.” INQ

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The Caixin purchasing managers survey showed new manufacturing orders fell at the fastest pace in two years in September.

The measures are the latest in a raft of pledges out of Beijing since last week aimed at kickstarting the world’s number-two economy.jiliko

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