Pinoy booters stun Thais

MANILA, Philippines — Bjorn Kristensen fired a brace to power the Philippines to a 2-1 upset of Thailand and a rousing end to its FIFA Asean Cup campaign Friday at Si Jalak Harupat Stadium in Bandung, Indonesia.

Kristensen’s opening goal in the third minute and go-ahead in the 68th in the rain-soaked Group B match put the Pinoy booters on the win column after opening the inaugural tournament with a 0-1 defeat to Vietnam and a 2-2 draw with Pakistan.

While big on the team’s confidence level, the impressive showing and reversal against the regional powerhouse couldn’t get the Philippines into the medal rounds.

At the end of group play, the Filipinos finished third in the group with four points, losing out to Vietnam (six points) in the fight for No. 2 and a ticket to the bronze medal match. The Vietnamese sealed their place in the battle for third with a closing 4-2 victory over Pakistan in Jakarta.

Despite the loss, the War Elephants took the No. 1 position with six points and a seat in the Last Dance against Group A topnotcher Indonesia (seven points).

“I want to congratulate my players, they have been having a really good tournament, playing nice football, creating chances, and showing that the progress of Philippine football is a reality,” said coach Carles Cuadrat.