MANILA — The substitute magic worked again in a Southeast Asian Games men’s football match involving the Philippine team.
However, it was Myanmar which got lucky this time.
Substitute Win Naing Tun made wonders off the bench for the Burmese team as it turned back the under-22 Azkals, 2-1, at the Rizal Memorial Stadium on Wednesday night.
Win, who replaced Aung Kaung Mann, buried a 79th minute goal that put Myanmar up for good after both sides each netted a goal in the first half.
Aung struck first for Myanmar in the 19th minute only for Justin Baas to answer one for the Azkals just before halftime.
The win momentarily put Myanmar on top of Group A with four points, although Cambodia can regain a share of first place with a victory over debuting Timor Leste, which is ongoing as of posting.
The Azkals, meanwhile, fell to fourth place with only one point to show, putting them in a must-win situation against Malaysia in hopes of keeping their semifinal hopes alive.
Atoning for an earlier miscue, Baas scored the Young Azkals’ lone goal in the 45th minute of the first half that ended in a 1-all deadlock off a feed by Dennis Chung, who was the hero in the PH squad’s 1-all draw against Cambodia last Monday. (PNA)
