In an Asian Cup that thus far has veered endearingly off script, the Philippines almost provided another shock to the establishment.
The debutants, expected to vie for third in Group C at best, held firm in Dubai for much of Monday’s match against two-time champions South Korea, only to surrender to Hwang Ui-jo’s close-range strike midway through the second half.
Champions in 1956 and 1960, the Koreans are attempting to snap a 59-year drought. Still, they rank among the obvious favourites for the title.
They were far from their vintage best at the resplendently remodelled Al Maktoum Stadium, however, at least they got the job done.
A 1-0 victory secured three points and the necessary introduction to the tournament. For the Philippines, despite departing without a point to show for their endeavour, there were positives aplenty.
Granted, they could not quite follow on from surprise results achieved across the event’s first few days by Bahrain, Jordan and India. But there was much to build upon ahead of upcoming clashes with China and Kyrgyzstan.
“Congratulations to South Korea, they played well, they won - we cannot complain too much about that,” Eriksson, the Philippines manager, said afterwards. “But we should be proud - I am proud - of the team we had out there.
"We stood up to them, they had the ball much more than we had, but we created some chances. And, with a little bit of luck, we could’ve done a different result.
______________
Read more:
Yu Dabao the hero as China fightback to beat Kyrgyzstan at the Asian Cup
Zaccheroni confident UAE will be better against India after flat start to Asian Cup
Download: Get your 2019 Asian Cup wallchart
In pictures: 2019 Asian Cup gets under way with opening ceremony
______________
“We showed the people here, the stadium, all those in front of television, that this country can play football.”
At times, the Philippines certainly did. Yet they were dogged and determined, stifling superior opponents for large swathes of the first half in particular. The opening 45 minutes were petering out before exploding into life right before the break.
First, Philippines goalkeeper Michael Falkesgaard saved low from Hwang’s smart swivel and shot. Then, on a rare foray deep into Korean territory, Kevin Ingreso’s stretching cross along the 18-yard line found striker Javier Patino, whose sweetly struck volley was parried to safety by Kim Seung-gyu in the opposition goal.
Almost immediately, at the other end, Hwang’s close-range effort seemed destined for the net, only for Falkesgaard’s planted leg to deflect the ball from danger.
The Filipino goalkeeper was performing admirably in the absence of Neil Etheridge, the Cardiff City stopper and regular No 1, who has not travelled to the UAE for the tournament.
Much to their credit, the Philippines emerged from the interval with newfound gusto. On a couple of occasions they broke well, but when the best chance fell to Patino on 54 minutes, he side-footed tamely towards Kim.
Not long after, against the run of play, South Korea grabbed their winner. A neat, 67th-minute move between substitute Lee Chung-yong and Hwang Hee-chan found Hwang, who twisted and dispatched his shot past Falkesgaard.
The striker had other chances to make the game more comfortable for his side, who will not have Tottenham Hotspur forward Son Heung-min until their third match. But the Philippines stood strong.
Paulo Bento, the South Korea manager, was simply content to have eventually broken down obdurate opponents.
“The intensity we played today was good,” the Portuguese said. “It’s not easy to play against a team who put a lot of players behind the ball, because sometimes you lose some patience to keep playing.
“But after the goal we had more spaces and more chances to score again. In the end it was a deserved victory for my team and an important victory for us.”
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Pakistan World Cup squad
Sarfraz Ahmed (c), Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abid Ali, Babar Azam, Haris Sohail, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Hafeez(subject to fitness), Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Junaid Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain
Two additions for England ODIs: Mohammad Amir and Asif Ali
Stage results
1. Julian Alaphilippe (FRA) Deceuninck-QuickStep 4:39:05
2. Michael Matthews (AUS) Team BikeExchange 0:00:08
3. Primoz Roglic (SLV) Jumbo-Visma same time
4. Jack Haig (AUS) Bahrain Victorious s.t
5. Wilco Kelderman (NED) Bora-Hansgrohe s.t
6. Tadej Pogacar (SLV) UAE Team Emirates s.t
7. David Gaudu (FRA) Groupama-FDJ s.t
8. Sergio Higuita Garcia (COL) EF Education-Nippo s.t
9. Bauke Mollema (NED) Trek-Segafredo s.t
10. Geraint Thomas (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers s.t
Tuesday results:
- Singapore bt Malaysia by 29 runs
- UAE bt Oman by 13 runs
- Hong Kong bt Nepal by 3 wickets
Final:
Thursday, UAE v Hong Kong
21 Lessons for the 21st Century
Yuval Noah Harari, Jonathan Cape
CONFIRMED%20LINE-UP
%3Cp%3EElena%20Rybakina%20(Kazakhstan)%3Cbr%3EOns%20Jabeur%20(Tunisia)%3Cbr%3EMaria%20Sakkari%20(Greece)%3Cbr%3EBarbora%20Krej%C4%8D%C3%ADkov%C3%A1%20(Czech%20Republic)%3Cbr%3EBeatriz%20Haddad%20Maia%20(Brazil)%3Cbr%3EJe%C4%BCena%20Ostapenko%20(Latvia)%3Cbr%3ELiudmila%20Samsonova%3Cbr%3EDaria%20Kasatkina%3Cbr%3EVeronika%20Kudermetova%3Cbr%3ECaroline%20Garcia%20(France)%3Cbr%3EMagda%20Linette%20(Poland)%3Cbr%3ESorana%20C%C3%AErstea%20(Romania)%3Cbr%3EAnastasia%20Potapova%3Cbr%3EAnhelina%20Kalinina%20(Ukraine)%3Cbr%3EJasmine%20Paolini%20(Italy)%3Cbr%3EEmma%20Navarro%20(USA)%3Cbr%3ELesia%20Tsurenko%20(Ukraine)%3Cbr%3EEmma%20Raducanu%20(Great%20Britain)%20%E2%80%93%20wildcard%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
INDIA SQUADS
India squad for third Test against Sri Lanka
Virat Kohli (capt), Murali Vijay, Lokesh Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Vijay Shankar
India squad for ODI series against Sri Lanka
Rohit Sharma (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddarth Kaul
The biog
Favourite hobby: I love to sing but I don’t get to sing as much nowadays sadly.
Favourite book: Anything by Sidney Sheldon.
Favourite movie: The Exorcist 2. It is a big thing in our family to sit around together and watch horror movies, I love watching them.
Favourite holiday destination: The favourite place I have been to is Florence, it is a beautiful city. My dream though has always been to visit Cyprus, I really want to go there.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Barcelona v Liverpool, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE).
Second leg
Liverpool v Barcelona, Tuesday, May 7, 11pm
Games on BeIN Sports
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
PROFILE BOX
Company name: Overwrite.ai
Founder: Ayman Alashkar
Started: Established in 2020
Based: Dubai International Financial Centre, Dubai
Sector: PropTech
Initial investment: Self-funded by founder
Funding stage: Seed funding, in talks with angel investors
The specs
Engine: 4-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: eight-speed PDK
Power: 630bhp
Torque: 820Nm
Price: Dh683,200
On sale: now
The specs: 2019 Audi A7 Sportback
Price, base: Dh315,000
Engine: 3.0-litre V6
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 335hp @ 5,000rpm
Torque: 500Nm @ 1,370rpm
Fuel economy 5.9L / 100km
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
Barbie
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Greta%20Gerwig%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Margot%20Robbie%2C%20Ryan%20Gosling%2C%20Will%20Ferrell%2C%20America%20Ferrera%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
MATCH INFO
Mainz 0
RB Leipzig 5 (Werner 11', 48', 75', Poulsen 23', Sabitzer 36')
Man of the Match: Timo Werner (RB Leipzig)
The specs: 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk
Price, base: Dh399,999
Engine: Supercharged 6.2-litre V8
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 707hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 875Nm @ 4,800rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 16.8L / 100km (estimate)
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Global Fungi Facts
• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil