Philippines appeared to have finally turned a corner in the FIFA ASEAN Cup on Tuesday after going two goals ahead against Pakistan at Si Jalak Harupat Stadium in Bandung, Indonesia.
Instead, the lead slipped away in the space of 17 second-half minutes -- leaving the Filipinos with just one point from two matches following a 2-2 draw with the Pakistanis.
Sandro Reyes and Bjørn Martin Kristensen put Philippines in control in the opening 45 minutes before Ali Khan and Abdul Arshad struck after the break to complete Pakistan's comeback.
The result leaves Philippines with only one point in Group B and out of contention for a place in the final. In the other game, Thailand secured their spot in the final after beating Vietnam 2-0, ending the latter's 27-game winning streak.
A two-goal half-time lead, gone in 17 minutes
Philippines skipper Amani Aguinaldo took responsibility for his side's defensive collapse after the break, particularly after the team had put itself in a commanding position.
"As the captain of the team, I take full responsibility for the poor second half performance," said Aguinaldo during the post-match news conference. "I should have stepped up and led the team. We have high standards, but we did not reach that level."
"We've been playing well in the game against Vietnam and in the first half of this game. But there's a lot we need to do regarding our composure, our focus so that this never happens again because we have a team of very high-quality players, and there's a lot of work to be done."
Reyes broke the deadlock in the 24th minute after Kristensen's header was saved by goalkeeper Yousuf Butt, with the loose ball falling kindly to the midfielder for the opener.
Eight minutes later, Kristensen doubled the lead from the penalty spot after Paul Tabinas' shot struck Mohammad Fazal's hand inside the box.
Philippines appeared to have done the hard work, taking a two-goal lead into halftime, but the break was extended by adverse weather conditions, delaying the restart and interrupting the flow of the match.
When play resumed, Pakistan immediately seized the initiative. Khan pulled one back just three minutes into the second half before Arshad completed the comeback in the 62nd minute, exposing Philippines' inability to manage the game after taking control in the opening 45 minutes.
The turnaround turned what had looked like a comfortable path to three points into another missed opportunity for the Filipinos, who had shown enough in the first half to put themselves in a winning position but could not sustain that level once the game shifted.
For head coach Carles Cuadrat, the problem was not a lack of quality but Philippines' inability to maintain their level once the game shifted.
"We played a very good first half," said Cuadrat. "Unfortunately, we had a really very bad start in the second half."
"It's quite sad because I think that we have been playing really good football for more than two hours during the last match and the first half of this game, but in football, you cannot make any mistakes, and it gave the opportunity for Pakistan to score the two goals."
Thailand acid test to wrap up the tournament
Philippines may have missed out on a spot in the final, but they still have a chance to advance to the bronze final if they beat Thailand on Friday, provided the results from the other game also go their way.
Thailand have been unbeaten in the tournament and have scored six goals across their two matches. With the Thais already through to the final, Philippines will need to manage the game better if they are to advance to the bronze-final.
Cuadrat said the team's preparations will focus on maintaining possession and limiting Thailand's opportunities to hurt them in transition.
"We need to know that we have to play with the ball and not allow them to have possession and transitions," said Cuadrat.
"So, it's something that we are going to practice, of course, in the next days to try to give that kind of knowledge to the players, trying to give their best. It's a moment for all of us to understand the things that make us only win one point after a game that we won 2-0. And from here, for sure, we are going to learn a lot of things."
