Filipino booters lose steam, bow to Indons

CHIANG MAI – The Philippines lost steam in the second half and absorbed a 0-3 loss to Indonesia Monday at the start of Group A elimination matches in the third Tiger Cup football tournament at the 700th Anniversary Stadium here.

The Filipinos fought on even terms with their more skillful Indonesian in the first 30 minutes of the match but broke down in the second half in the face of the intense pressure applied by their rivals.

But coach Rodolfo Alicante was visibly displeased by the performance of his boys, saying: "We didn’t lose to the Indonesians. We beat ourselves by making many very basic errors."

"We weren’t also aggressive on our offense. About 80 percent of the time we were on the defensive mode," added Alicante.

Host Thailand, billed as the top favorite in this nine-nation event regarded as Southeast Asia’s football championships, subdued Myanmar 3-1 to keep pace with Indonesia.

The Philippines and Myanmar tangle in the lone "make-or-break" match on Wednesday with the loser bowing out of contention in advancing to the semifinals.