BIENVENIDO Marañon scored a hat-trick as the Philippine Azkals wrapped up their AFF Suzuki Cup 2020 campaign with a 3-2 win over Myanmar on a wet Saturday night at the Bishan Stadium.
Azkals vs Myanmar recap
The naturalized Filipino striker starred in the victory to finish the competition with six points after winning two out of the four matches in Group A.
The Philippines salvaged some pride in the victory after it was eliminated from semifinal contention last Thursday when it lost to Thailand, 2-1.
Marañon opened scoring with a strike inside the box in the 16th minute, and padded the lead with a volley on a cross by Iain Ramsay.
The United City FC striker added another goal, converting on a header after a Martin Steuble cross before halftime, to become the first Filipino to score a hat trick in the AFF Suzuki Cup history.
The Azkals still survived some anxious moments after conceding two goals from substitute Htet Phyo Wai in the 74th and 86th, but the equalizer didn’t come.
The match also provided a glimpse of the future as head coach Stewart Hall fielded U-22 players including Yrick Gallantes, Mikel Baas, Oskari Kekkonen, and Sandro Reyes.
“Obviously, it’s the last game. We set out to give a few of the young players a game which we did. We started with three players from the Under-22 and we brought one towards the end. That’s part of the plan,” said Hall.
“I thought first half we were excellent. Second half, they came back at us. We could have managed the game better than that. That’s something to learn from,” said Hall.
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