Brunei beats the Philippines

(This is the draft of my report of Brunei vs. Philippines)
THE Philippines threw the kitchen sink, and then some, against Brunei in a search for that elusive win but still ended up losing, 2-1, in the country’s final group stage match in the Southeast Asian Games in Jakarta.

With that loss, the Junior Azkals, which just two weeks ago were being tipped to win a medal, finished dead last in the Group of Hope, on one win and five losses.


However, Dan Palami, the team manager, has vowed the team will bounce back in 2013 and promised to pour the resources needed for the team preparation.

More than half of the 2011 team is eligible for the next SEA Games, which is an Under 23 competition.

“Buhusan natin ng resources to,” Palami was quoted in a Manila newspaper.

Brunei, which lost to Vietnam, 8-0, in its previous match, salvaged some pride and finished fifth in the group of six, with Vietnam and Myanmar expected to finish in the top two and advance to the semifinals.

But the 2-1 scoreline doesn’t show the story of the match, where a determined Philippines squad playing only for pride tried everything possible—except perhaps put goalkeeper Roland Muller on attack—to get the win but failed to do so.

Overall, the Philippines had 29 shots at goal to Brunei’s five.

At halftime, it was 19 to 3 in favor of the Philippines, but the scoreline was already, 2-1, in favor of Brunei.

Joshua Beloya, the hero of the win against Laos, started the ball rolling with a left-footed strike in the 10th minute but in the 18th, Brunei equalized.

After Brunei fumbled in two great chances in three minutes to get the go ahead goal, it was the turn of the Philippines to get frustrated, getting foiled in six shots at goal from the 28th to 39th minute—with OJ Clarino missing two great shots by inches.

In the 41st, Brunei made the Philippines pay, scoring on the rebound after Muller failed to collect a free kick.

It was the same story in the second half, with the Philippines pulling all bodies forward and not getting a goal. Jeff Christaensens hit the bar in the 58th a minute after Beloya’s shot was saved.

In the 70th, Muller got out of the box to clear a shot but cla, shed heads with Jason de Jong but fortunately he recovered to finish the game.

In the 77th minute, Muller pulled out a masterful save. Brunei got a shot and Muller dove in the wrong direction but he still manage to kick the ball out for a corner.

In the 85th, the Junior Azkals got three corners in a three-minute span but didn’t even get a shot at goal and in the 87th, Valmayor’s volley just sailed wide.

The Philippines got three more shots in the dying minutes but they all were either saved or hit high and the Junior Azkals crash out of the SEA Games with only a win to their name.

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