SEAG: Jr Azkals grab 1st win, rally to nip Laos

The U23 Azkals came back from a goal down to score twice in injury time and win their first points of the 26th SEA Games in Jakarta Friday. Manny Ott put the Azkals in front in the 8th minute from a Jinggoy Valmayor flick on at the Lebak Bulus Stadium before Laos equalized and went ahead through a brace from Lamnao Singto. 2-1 down Patrick Hinrichsen’s red card seemed to signal the end of any hopes of reaching the Semi Finals until Joshua Beloya scored twice late in the second half to push the Philippines ahead for good. First Half Laos started the brighter side, getting the best of the early skirmishes and fashioning a couple of half-chances. Against the run of play Manny Ott gave the junior Azkals the lead with Jinggoy Valmayor flicking the ball on for the Fil-German, who used the outside of his right foot to curl the ball for his second goal of the competition. Laos continued to pressure and had the lion’s share of possession but missed the final ball until a low cross from Soukaphone Vongchiengkham found Lamnao Singto unmarked in the center to chip the ball into the top corner of the net. There was a hint of offside as Singto ghosted past the Azkals defense. The goal put the teams on level terms going into the half-time break though and the Philippines knew that nothing less than a win would be enough to keep alive their slim hopes of qualification. Second Half Laos started the brighter side in the second half too, winning possession and quickly countering. A well-timed through ball put Lamnao Singto through on goal in the 46th minute and he slotted past Müller to give the Laotian side the lead for the first time. Things went from bad to worse for the Azkals when Patrick Hinrichsen picked up a yellow card after body-checking a marauding attacker before being sent off for his second yellow, sliding in after losing possession. Running out the clock Laos seemed a sure bet for the win until Joshua Beloya dragged the ten-men Philippines back into contention. First OJ Porteria’s sublime through ball found Mark Hartmann in the 90th minute who had the vision to delicately cut back for Beloya, laying it on a plate for the 20-year-old forward to tap in to level the scores. Moments later a long ball found the striker battling two defenders and he nodded the ball on to set himself up to power a drive past Sourasay Keosouvandeng in goal. The full-time whistle blew moments later confirming the incredible comeback as on the brink of losing all hope in the competition the Azkals turned the game around in three minutes to win their first three points. - Filipino football fans' reactions were immediate on Twitter.