By Jonas Terrado
Stephan Schrock scored off a corner kick in the second half and the Philippines kept its semifinal hopes alive with a 1-0 win over Malaysia in men’s football of the 30th Southeast Asian Games Friday at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.
Philippine midfielder Stephan Schrock protects the ball against Malaysia’s Muhammad Syahmi Safari during their SEA Games men’s football match at the Rizal Memorial Stadium. Captured using Canon 5d Mark IV with 400mm f2.8 lens (Rio Deluvio).
Schrock’s eventual winner came in the 72nd minute when his corner hit Malaysian goalkeeper Muhammad Haziq Nadzli before the ball landed past the line, prompting referee Salman Ahmnad Falahi to award eventual winner.
Many had thought it was defender Amani Aguinaldo who scored but the officials declared that the goal was from Schrock.
The Young Azkals played defensive the rest of the way, with Malaysia blowing a chance to level the score six minutes after Schrock’s goal when Muhammad Hadi Fayyadh Abdul Razak missed a close-range attempt.
In the end, the Philippines got the maximum three points to revive memories of 1991 when Norman Fegidero’s late score gave the Philippines a 1-0 win over the same team and a trip to its first and still only semifinal appearance in the biennial meet.
The result, fashioned out before a crowd of 6,500, kept the Young Azkals in the hunt for a top two finish in Group A with four points after three matches.
Myanmar is on top with seven points with Cambodia level on points with the Philippines.
Malaysia dropped to fourth with still a point while Timor-Leste has lost all of its two matches.
The Young Azkals will need to beat Timor-Leste on Dec. 4 at the Binan Football Stadium in Laguna for a chance to reach the last four.
Source: Manila Bulletin
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