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Gerrit Holtmann, Jefferson Tabinas, and Zico Bailey score in the second half as the Philippine men’s football team gifts new head coach Albert Capellas his first victory with the squad
MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine men’s football team ended its 2024 King’s Cup campaign with a resounding 3-0 victory over Tajikistan on Monday, October 14, at the Tinsulanon Stadium in Songkha, Thailand.
Gerrit Holtmann, Jefferson Tabinas, and Zico Bailey all scored in the second half as the Filipinos gave new head coach Albert Capellas his maiden victory with the national team, and in the process, claimed the bronze medal.
Holtmann broke the scoreless deadlock at the 47th minute with a powerful left-footed strike outside the penalty box.
Philippine goalkeeper Kevin Mendoza launched a goal kick and found Bjorn Kristensen, who immediately passed the ball to an open Holtmann for the long-range shot.
Tabinas scored the Filipinos’ second goal with a towering header at the 58th minute after he connected with Sandro Reyes’ cross from the right corner flag.
The third and final goal of the match came from Bailey, who slotted in the ball after receiving an accurate cut-back from Holtmann down the left wing.
Capellas said the team entered the four-team tournament with the belief that it can win the whole thing, and although a 3-1 loss to Thailand prevented that, he still expressed his satisfaction with the way his charges performed.
“We make another step forward in our way of playing, in our way of playing the games, much more mature and all the credit for the players because we’ve been working together very few times and it’s amazing how quick they are becoming everything so that means they have a lot of talent.”
Incurring a red card against Thailand, Philippine team captain and defender Amani Aguinaldo was forced to miss the clash versus Tajikistan and was replaced by 25-year-old Christian Rontini in the starting lineup.
The other line-up change made by Capellas was replacing midfielder Patrick Strauss with the 24-year-old Bailey.
Holtmann had another bright start as he fired two shots on target inside the first 21 minutes, but both attempts did not yield a goal.
At the 30th minute, Tajikistan goalkeeper Rustam Yatimov produced two successive saves to prevent youngster Santiago Rublico and veteran midfielder Manny Ott from scoring outside the penalty box.
Six minutes before the halftime whistle, Holtmann was penalized with a yellow card following his sliding tackle on Tajikistan’s first-half substitute Nuriddin Khamrokulov.
Seven minutes after Holtmann’s goal, Tajikistan tried to equalize as team captain Parvizdzhon Umarboev intercepted a pass then laid the ball off for Khamrokulov, but the latter’s shot was blocked by Mendoza.
Tajikistan ended its King’s Cup run without a win for last place. – Rappler.com
