U.23 Philippines shocked, defeated Myanmar: Coach McPherson sent a 'declaration of war' to U.23 Indonesia

Despite being underestimated, U.23 Philippines surprisingly defeated U.23 Myanmar 2-0 in the first match of Group C, men's football SEA Games 33, which took place on the evening of December 5.

With U.23 Singapore being moved to Group A (due to U.23 Cambodia's withdrawal), Group C of the men's football SEA Games 33 will now be a competition between 3 teams: U.23 Indonesia, U.23 Myanmar and U.23 Philippines. Among them, U.23 Philippines is considered the weakest as they have not had good results in previous Southeast Asian Games . Despite that, in the pre-match press conference, coach Garrath McPherson still declared that U.23 Philippines will bring a big surprise at SEA Games 33.

“I think this is a special group because there are very strong teams. However, U.23 Philippines entered the 33rd SEA Games with great desire and we are ready to make a surprise, defeat strong teams like Myanmar or Indonesia to go far in the tournament,” coach Garrath McPherson emphasized.

U.23 Philippines continuously pressured Myanmar

True to the statement of coach Garrath McPherson, U.23 Philippines unexpectedly pushed up the formation, attacking despite having to face a stronger opponent, U.23 Myanmar, on the opening day. With conductor Reyes in the squad, U.23 Philippines played confidently, holding the ball up to 65%. Not only did they coordinate well in the middle, the two wings of U.23 Philippines also played at full speed, making it difficult for the Myanmar defense to defend. After a series of delicious opportunities, in the 19th minute, Demuynck accelerated on the left wing and then made a pass to Monis to open the score for U.23 Philippines.

U.23 Philippines shows great progress, overwhelming Myanmar

PHOTO: SCREENSHOT

After the opening goal, U.23 Philippines continued to attack. Coach Garrath McPherson's players had 8 more shots - 4 times more than what U.23 Myanmar had. If Monis and Mariona had not missed their golden opportunities in the 39th and 42nd minutes respectively, U.23 Philippines could have scored a second goal right before halftime.

In the second half, U.23 Philippines made many changes in the midfield, in which captain Reyes unexpectedly had to leave the field early. However, U.23 Philippines still completely controlled the game, creating many dangerous attacking situations. In the 50th minute, Demuynck made an uncomfortable cross from the left wing, causing center-back Lat Wai Phone to fumble and put the ball into his own net, thereby helping U.23 Philippines double the gap.

The fast playing style of U.23 Philippines made U.23 Myanmar struggle to defend.

PHOTO: SCREENSHOT

Leading by 2 goals, U.23 Philippines started to play slowly, giving the game to U.23 Myanmar. However, when they improved their ball control (about 55%), U.23 Myanmar also struggled, unable to approach U.23 Philippines' penalty area. During the second half, U.23 Myanmar only had 4 shots but could not penetrate the opponent's net, accepting defeat in the opening match.

Surprisingly defeating U.23 Myanmar 2-0, U.23 Philippines has 3 points with a goal difference of +2, rising to the top of Group C of SEA Games 33. U.23 Indonesia did not play so it has 0 points, ranked 2nd. Meanwhile, U.23 Myanmar has 0 points with a goal difference of -2, ranked bottom of the table.

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Source: https://thanhnien.vn/u23-philippines-gay-soc-danh-bai-myanmar-hlv-mcpherson-gui-loi-tuyen-chien-den-u23-indonesia-185251205195525401.htm