PHILIPPINES NOT GIVING UP JUST YET

The lone goal in the game came in the 34th minute of play when Neil Etheridge (pix) failed to make a save and allowed Indonesian striker Cristian Gonzales to head home from the far side of the box.

“There was miscommunication because they couldn’t hear each other. They all got mixed up and unfortunately Neil makes that one mistake in four games and gets punished for it,” said Philippines chief coach Simon McMenemy.

“It’s a shame for him because he’s been absolutely superb the last four games and his handling is incredible. But you must not forget he’s only 20. I still think we did very well on the whole.”

But with yet another game to play for at the same venue tomorrow, the Philippines took time off yesterday and went out for lunch at the Philippine Embassy.

They even had some time off to go to a nearby mall for some shopping where everybody seemed to be in a good mood, with a lot of bantering and singing inside the team bus that took them around town.

Team manager Dan Palami, said all’s not lost for the Philippines where he reminded everyone of the 1-1 draw against Singapore during the group stage – the equalizer, courtesy of Chris Greatwich, came in the 94th minute.

“One of the best things about this team is that it has a never-say-die attitude and I’m sure this will be evident in our final game against Indonesia on Sunday,” he said.

“Against Singapore we scored and tied them in the 94th minute. Now we are being given 90 minutes or more, not just to tie but to win. We can still come out with something.”

AFF SUZUKI CUP 2010, SEMI-FINALS FIXTURES and RESULTS

First-leg – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (BUKIT JALIL NATIONAL STADIUM, KUALA LUMPUR)

15 Dec MALAYSIA 2 VIETNAM 0

First-leg – Jakarta, Indonesia (GELORA BUNG KARNO STADIUM, JAKARTA)

16 Dec PHILIPPINES 0 INDONESIA 1

Second-leg – Hanoi, Vietnam (MY DINH NATIONAL STADIUM, HANOI)

18 Dec Vietnam vs Malaysia (2000hrs)

Second-leg – Jakarta, Indonesia (GELORA BUNG KARNO STADIUM, JAKARTA)

19 Dec Indonesia vs Philippines (2000hrs)