BY JONAS TERRADO
Stephan Schrock scored off a corner kick in the second half and the Philippines kept its semifinal hopes alive with a 1-0 win over Malaysia in men’s football of the 30th Southeast Asian Games at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.
Schrock’s eventual winner came in the 72nd minute when his corner hit Malaysian goalkeeper Muhammad Haziq Nadzli, who dropped the ball at the goal line resulting in referee Salman Ahmnad Falahi to award the goal.
The Young Azkals played defensive the rest of the way, with Malaysia blowing a chance to level the score six minutes after Schrock’s goal when Muhammad Hadi Fayyadh Abdul Razak missed a close-range attempt.
In the end, the Philippines got the maximum three points to revive memories of 1991 when Norman Fegidero’s late score gave the Philippines a 1-0 win over the same team and a trip to its first and still only semifinal appearance in the biennial meet.
The result kept the Young Azkals in the hunt for a top two finish in Group A with four points after three matches.
Myanmar is on top with seven points with Cambodia level on points with the Philippines.
The Young Azkals will need to beat Timor-Leste on Dec. 4 at the Binan Football Stadium in Laguna for a chance to reach the last four.
