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| Albert Capellas steered the PMNFT to its first win in over a year. PFF |
MANILA--The Philippine Men's National Football Team is back on the win column after quite a while after thumping Tajikistan, 3-0, in the battle for third in the King Cup on Monday night at the Tinsunalonda Stadium in Songkhla, Thailand.
The PMNFT used a second-half barrage to not just avenge their defeat to the same Tajik squad in their Merdeka Cup meeting last month but also end a winless spell that dates back to last year.
Gerrit Holtmann, the headliner of the PMNFT's October roster, broke the ice with a long-range rocket in the 47th minute that Rustam Yatimov failed to save as the ball slipped in his hands and into the goal.
Jeff Tabinas added a goal in the 58th minute and Zico Bailey quickly shot the third goal for the PMNFT in the 62nd minute off a feed from Holtmann.
It was the first win of the PMNFT in an official FIFA match since beating Afghanistan, 2-1, on Sept. 12, 2023 at the Rizal Memorial Stadium back when the Philippine team was still known under the moniker Azkals.
The PMNFT only tallied one draw in their next 10 matches, although their previous meeting against Tajikistan was officially listed as a draw too because the Merdeka Cup is considered a FIFA friendly series implying extra time and penalty shootout outcomes will not be reflected in the official result.
It is also the PMNFT's first win in the Albert Capellas, a positive sign of things to come as the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup is just around the corner.
"We made another step forward in our way of playing the game," Capellas said.
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