The Philippines squandered a two-goal lead as Pakistan battled back for a 2-2 draw on Tuesday night, dealing a blow to the Filipinos' bid in the inaugural FIFA ASEAN Cup in Badung, Indonesia.

Dominant in the first half, the Pinoy booters raced to a 2-0 advantage behind goals from Sandro Reyes in the 24th minute and Bjorn Kristensen in the 32nd.

But coach Carles Cuadrat's squad cooled off after a halftime break extended by rain, and the Pakistanis were quick to cash in. Forward Ali Akbar Khan pulled one back in the 47th minute, striking off a long ball from captain Abdullah Iqbal, before Abdul Shahzad fired the equalizer 15 minutes later off an interception in midfield.

The draw leaves the Philippines third in Group B. Having earlier dropped a 0-1 loss to Vietnam, the Filipinos sit behind unbeaten Thailand (six points) and second-running Vietnam (three points, from one win and one loss), and ahead of Pakistan (one point) only on goal difference: minus one versus minus four.

"We played a very good first half, had chances to score three or four goals, but unfortunately we missed some clear chances… In a really bad start to the second half, we conceded twice in 15 minutes. In football, you cannot make any presents," said Mr. Cuadrat, ruing the miscues that led to Pakistan's three shots on target.

"When you are winning 2-0, you have to be able to keep the 3 points. It's a moment for all of us to understand what happened and make self-criticism to avoid it happening again."

The Philippines will seek an upset against finals-bound Thailand on Friday in Jakarta, while hoping the result in the other Group B game between Vietnam and Pakistan goes its way to remain in contention for the No. 2 spot and a seat in the bronze medal match.

— Olmin Leyba, BusinessWorld

Source: BusinessWorld