Philippine booters face acid test versus Thais

MANILA, Philippines — After winning one and losing one against lower-ranked opponents, the Philippines faces its biggest test yet in the Asean Championship-Hyundai Cup – powerhouse Thailand.

The 135th-ranked Pinoy booters play the No. 94 War Elephants at the New Clark City Stadium in Capas, Tarlac tonight, looking to make the most of every advantage a home side can enjoy in a Group B match that’s crucial in the race for the two semifinal berths.

The Filipinos currently sit at fourth in the five-team bracket with three points on account of their 4-1 win over No. 185 Laos Saturday that followed their opening 1-4 loss to No. 158 Myanmar last week.

The War Elephants, 5-0 winners over Laos and 2-0 victors over Malaysia, hold pole position with six points. The Malayan Tigers (six points on two wins and one loss) occupy second while the Burmese (three points on one win and one loss) are at third, ahead of the Philippines on goal difference, +2 against zero. Laos, with three losses, is already out of contention with a match to spare.

“We’ve been fighting with a lot of mental challenges in the first and second games that were against us – all mistakes and situations that lead us to bad mental moments. And that’s what we’ll have to overcome, especially against Thailand,” said coach Carles Cuadrat.