Welcome Guest   |  Login   |   Signup
JG Logo
Sat, May 26, 2012
Archive Search

Vietnam, Philippines to Raise Curtain on SEA Games in Jakarta
November 02, 2011

Share This Page
60
1
0
0
Share with google+ :


Post a comment
Please login to post comment

Comments

Be the first to write your opinion!

Football will kick off the Southeast Asian Games today as Vietnam meets the Philippines at Gelora Bung Karno in Jakarta.

The two Group B favorites face off with Vietnam hoping to cement its status as top dog. The match kicks off at 4 p.m., followed by Laos facing Burma at 7 p.m.

Brunei and East Timor round out Group B.

“The first match is always important, and I’m glad that we’ll play against the Philippines in the opener,” Vietnam coach Falko Goetz told a news conference on Wednesday. “After that match we’ll know whether we are really the favorite or not.”

Vietnam won silver at the 2009 Games in Vientiane, Laos, falling 1-0 to Malaysia in the final. The Philippines did not send a football team to Laos.

The Vietnamese are heavily favored to advance, with Vietnam Football Federation president Nguyen Trong Hy saying in the Thanh Nien newspaper last month that its passage to the last four was much easier in Group B.

Philippines coach Michael Weiss admitted his side was up against a tough opponent.

“They beat Qatar 2-1 in the [2014] World Cup qualifiers. That shows how good they are,” he said. Qatar still advanced after winning the first leg 3-0 in Doha.

Basketball-mad Filipinos began to take notice of football after the Azkals reached the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup semifinals. They will rely on veterans Manny Ott and Jason de Jong, who were part of the Suzuki Cup squad.

Group A starts on Monday with Malaysia facing Singapore and Indonesia hosting Cambodia. 

JG