PH men's football team draws with Myanmar, Laos in ASEAN Cup

The Philippine men's national football team began their ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup campaign with a 1-1 draw against Myanmar.

Myanmar's Mg Mg Lwin scored in the 25th minute, but Bjorn Kristensen equalized for the Philippines in the 72nd minute via a penalty kick.

Despite dominating possession and outshooting Myanmar, the Philippines could not secure a win, prompting concerns about their ability to convert chances.

Director for senior national teams Freddy Gonzalez stated that the team cannot afford to draw games like the one against Myanmar and must win against Laos to have renewed hope of advancing.

The team then drew 1-1 against Laos, with Sandro Reyes scoring the equalizer in the 77th minute to cancel out an own goal by Michael Baldisimo in the first half.

An apparent second goal by Alex Monis was disallowed due to an offside.

The Philippines now faces Vietnam with an uphill climb to reach the semifinals, as they need to win their remaining two matches in Group B.

Team Philippines remains outside of the top two spots with Indonesia and Vietnam having more points.