Experts hope Philippines will recreate 'Hanoi 2010 miracle'

PHILIPPINES- Football expert Jing Jamlang believes that if the Philippines defends well, plays with concentration and discipline, they can create a surprise against Vietnam in the opening match of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

Jing Jamlang is the manager of Kaya FC Iloilo, which has five players on the Philippine team this training camp. He believes the Philippines can recreate the " Hanoi 2010 miracle", but needs a reasonable strategy, with defense being the key. "The Philippines must break the way Vietnam plays," Jing Jamlang told CNN Philippines. "When we take too long to score, the opponent gets impatient, and we get more energy from the stands."

At the 2010 AFF Cup, Vietnam and the Philippines were in the same group B. Despite having the home advantage at My Dinh Stadium and playing as defending champions, coach Henrique Calisto's team was surprisingly defeated 0-2, thanks to goals from Simon Greenwich and Phil Younghusband. That result helped the Philippines reach the semi-finals of the Southeast Asian tournament for the first time, and to this day it remains the pinnacle in their football history.

Vietnam (red shirt) defeated the Philippines (white shirt) 1-0 in a friendly match before the AFF Cup 2022. Photo: Giang Huy

However, Jing Jamlang admitted that Vietnam is probably the strongest team in the region at the moment, a big challenge for Michael Weiss and his team. "The Philippines will not be able to control the ball as they want because Vietnam is very good at controlling the tempo of the match. Therefore, playing focused and disciplined in defense is a prerequisite before creating counterattacks," said the 37-year-old manager.

In addition, Jing Jamlang also wants the players to have absolute faith in coach Michael Weiss' plan. If there is criticism after the match, the coach will bear it, while the players' job is to give 100% effort on the field. Jing emphasized that the players must run continuously and give their all for the entire 90 minutes. "If you feel like you can only run for 60 minutes, you should sit on the bench," he commented.

In Jing Jamlang's view, the Philippines will start with goalkeeper Neil Etheridge and centre-backs Carli De Murga and Jefferson Tabinas. The midfield will consist of Kevin Ingreso, Manny Ott and Mike Ott. When in possession, they will need to transition quickly to the right wing, where speedy players like right-back Jesse Curran and striker Kenshiro Daniels will be present.

In that defensive counter-attacking game, Jing Jamlang only regretted that Kaya FC-Iloilo winger Jarvey Gayoso was not called up. In the AFC Champions League, Gayoso was considered by Jing to be Kaya's best player and was on par with opponents from Incheon United (Korea), Yokohama F. Marinos (Japan) and Shandong Taishan (China). "In a defensive game, Gayoso's energy and flexibility are essential," Jing said.

The Philippines will host Vietnam at the Rizal Memorial artificial turf stadium at 7pm Manila, or 6pm Hanoi. Head-to-head history shows Vietnam winning nine, drawing one and losing two against the Philippines. Vietnam won the last five matches, including a 1-0 victory in a friendly before the 2022 AFF Cup.

Vnexpress.net