U22 Timor Leste shocked by big win over Philippines

Recently, Timor Leste football has been invested in a systematic manner with a rejuvenated force, emerging as one of the toughest opponents in Southeast Asian tournaments. However, at the 32nd SEA Games, U22 Timor Leste suffered two consecutive defeats, respectively against the host Cambodia and U22 Myanmar.

U22 Timor Leste (red shirt) surprisingly won big against U22 Philippines

Coach Kim Shin-hwan's team almost lost the chance to reach the semi-finals but still played with enthusiasm in the third match of Group A, against U22 Philippines - a highly rated opponent. U22 Timor Leste, with their technical South American style of play, unexpectedly opened the scoring in the 10th minute, after Mauzinho successfully broke the offside trap and skillfully chipped the ball into the Philippines' net.

With the advantage of leading, coach Kim Shin-hwan's team had an additional advantage when their opponent had to play with one less player due to Dennis Chung's red card in the 27th minute. Taking advantage of the opportunity, U22 Timor Leste continued to penetrate the U22 Philippines net twice more, by Ribeiro and Mesquita Elias respectively before the match ended.

The defeat left the Philippines at the bottom of the rankings with 1 point and almost no chance of advancing. Meanwhile, U22 Timor Leste has 3 points after 3 rounds, rekindling the hope of competing for a place in the semi-finals when the gap with the top 2 is only 1 point.

Tuong Phuoc

Source: https://nld.com.vn/the-thao/chan-dong-u22-timor-leste-thang-dam-philippines-20230504213037186.htm