MANILA – Bjorn Kristensen calmly converted a penalty in the second half as the Philippine men’s football team forced a 1-1 draw with Myanmar in the 2024 ASEAN Championship on Thursday night at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.
The Filipino-Norwegian center-forward slipped his penalty past Myanmar goalkeeper Zin Nyi Nyi Aung in the 71st minute to draw the score and record their first point in the group stage.
Mg Mg Lwin gave Myanmar a 1-0 advantage with a fantastic free kick in the 26th minute. The lead was nearly doubled by Ye Yint Aung in the 63rd minute, but it was nullified by the VAR.
Despite salvaging a point, Philippines coach Albert Capellas expressed disappointment that the team was unable to eke a victory despite dominating the ball possession and having multiple opportunities to score.
“This kind of games, you have to beat them because you usually have to win this games. We created so many chances,” Capellas told the media in a post-game interview.
“I’m very satisfied with the first half, the way that we played, we stuck to the plan, and we created a lot of chances,” he added. “Today is the game that we really have to win, but it’s how it is.”
Both the Philippines and Myanmar – which started its campaign with a 1-0 home loss to Indonesia last Monday – now have a point in Group B.
The Philippine team will seek its first win against Laos this Sunday at the New Laos National Stadium iin Vientiane, while Myanmar will also face Laos but on Wednesday at its home pitch./PN
