DISAPPOINTMENT prevailed in the Philippine men’s football team camp on Sunday after it drew with Laos, 1-1, in the 2024 ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup in Vientiane.
An own goal by Michael Baldisimo, a header off a Laos cross inside the box, in the 34th minute gave Laos a 1-0 advantage despite the Philippines taking control of the possessions.
Sandro Reyes tied the match in 77th minute but PMNT came up empty once again with its scoring chances, including a score by Alex Monis in the 81st that was ruled an offside.
The Philippines settled for its second draw in as many matches after opening the tournament with a 1-1 stalemate with Myanmar last Thursday at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.
The result put the Philippines in a must-win situation in their final two matches against Vietnam on December 18 at the Rizal Memorial Stadium, and Indonesia on December 21 at the Manahan Stadium in an away match.
Indonesia and Vietnam occupy the top two spots in Group B, and were facing each other, as of posting time.
The Philippines was the favorite to win the match, based on previous results, including a 4-1 win over Laos in their last ASEAN Cup clash in 2014.
PMNT is also ranked higher in the FIFA rankings at 149 with Laos at 186 although it has performed decently in this tournament by tallying two draws and one defeat.
PMNT had 76 percent of the possessions, and had more shots on target, 5-2, over Laos.
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