THE Philippines recovered from an early 0-1 deficit to finish in a 2-2 draw with Timor Leste Monday night at the start of the AFF Under-23 Youth Football Championship at the Morodok Techno Techo National Stadium in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Forward and former National University ace Ivan Ouano came to the rescue of the Filipino booters, scoring a brace in the 45th and 62nd minutes as the team booked its first point in Group A of the 11-nation competition.
Midfielder Mouzinhol Barreto scored on a penalty kick in the fifth minute while Joao Soares scored the other goal for the Timorese in the 56th minute.
“Timor Leste trained for three months while we merely had three weeks. Still, we showed a lot of character in coming back to tie the game,” said British mentor Stewart Hall.
“Yes, they were fitter and better than us. I am proud how our team came back to deadlock the match, which showed their great character so I am quite proud of them,” added Hall, who intends to make some tweaks in the roster when they face host Cambodia on Thursday.
Hall’s charges were stung early as they conceded a penalty kick in the first five minutes, with Barreto converting the go-ahead goal.
“I thought the penalty they gave us was a bit soft,” Hall said.
After frantically scrambling for most of the first half, the Nationals finally scored the equalizer from Ouano as the two squads went into the break tied at 1-all.
But the Filipinos had to play catch up again due to another defensive lapse that allowed the wards of Brazilian mentor Fabro Maciel to take the lead through Soares, who scored an enterprising goal within the box just 11 minutes into the second half.
