Coach Albert Capellas believes the Philippine men’s football team deserves more than what it had earned, despite two draws that put their semifinal bid in the Asean Mitsubishi Electric Cup hanging in the balance.

But an upset win over powerhouse Vietnam on Wednesday evening at Rizal Memorial Stadium may give the shot in the arm the Filipino side is looking for, after bungling so many chances to get at least a win against perceived Group B tailenders Myanmar and Laos.

Article continues after this advertisement

“I think the players deserved more points,” Capellas said in Tuesday’s prematch press conference. “But this is the reality. We only got two points and we’re not happy with that.

“But we have a fantastic chance to beat Vietnam, and if we beat Vietnam, we could have a good chance to qualify,” Capellas said. “We have to do the job tomorrow and I hope the players will do it.”

The Philippines could only come up with consecutive 1-1 ties in the first two matches of the group stage despite combining for 35 attempts, nine on target, and having dominated ball possession in both games.

Article continues after this advertisement

A loss or two was also a possibility after mistakes resulted in both opponents taking the lead in the first half, only for Bjorn Kristensen to convert a penalty against Myanmar and Sandro Reyes scoring a low shot versus Laos.

An Alex Monis goal off a Reyes assist was nullified after the offside flag was raised against Laos.

“We have big respect for Vietnam, they’re the giants of Southeast Asia,” said Monis. “[But] we’re not afraid of them and we’re gonna go out there and try to give our best. We’re going to play the football we know how to play and stick to that.” INQ