The Philippine Men’s National Team opened their CTFA International Tournament campaign with a satisfying 3-1 win over Laos last Friday 1 December 2017 at the Municipal Stadium, Taipei, Taiwan.
Phil Younghusband, Angel Guirado, and Kintaro Miyagi found their names in the scoresheet to give Marlon Maro’s squad a great start in the tournament organized by the Chinese Taipei Football Association.
Maro opted for a mixture of young and experienced players in the lineup. Julian Clarino, Christian Lapas, and Javier Gayoso started for the squad and earned their first cap with the senior team.
Phil Younghusband scored the first goal of the match in the 35th minute. James Younghusband provided the assist to his younger brother, who sent it to the bottom corner to score his 48th international goal for the Philippines.
The returning Guirado doubled the lead in the 46th minute. The midfielder went past his marker to fire a shot past the goalkeeper.
Miyagi added a third in the 81st minute. Laos scored a consolation goal late on, but the result gave the Philippines their first three points of the tournament.
The Philippines face hosts Chinese Taipei on Monday 4 December 2017. Kickoff is at 7:00 PM.
Photo from Billy Pinig
