PINAYS PAHINGA MUNA BAGO SUMABAK SA SEMIS

ANG makapagpahinga at makarekober ang mga Pinay ang prayoridad ni Australian coach Alen Stajcic bago ang crossover semifinals ng 12th Asean Football Federation Women’s Championship buka sa Rizal Memorial Stadium.

“I think the key (to the semifinals) is recovery. Probably this is the most brutal international tournament you have for women. Five games in nine days in these conditions is something I have not seen before,” sabi ni Stajcic makaraang malasap ng hosts ang 0-1heartbreaker sa Thailand.

Hindi lamang pinutol ng Thais ang four-game winning streak ng Pinay kundi kinuha rin nila ang liderato sa Group A na may 13 points habang ibinaba ang kanilang katunggali sa ikalawang puwesto na may 12 points.

Kapwa walang talo na may tig-3 panalo, ang defending champion Vietnam at Myanmar ay nagpapambuno para sa Group B honors hanggang press time kagabi sa Rizal Stadium.

Sa tournament format, ang sasagupain ng Group A topnotcher ang Group B runner-up at vice versa.

“To play 450 minutes in just nine days is something I have not seen before in high-level international football and even domestic football. It’s brutal and torturous,” pagbibigay-diin ni Stajcic. “We saw some players pass out there in the end. It’s an extremely grueling schedule.”

Bagaman nagpapasalamat dahil sa wakas ay magkakaroon sila ng dalawang araw na pahinga bago ang semis makaraang maglaro kada makalawa, naniniwala ang Australian tactician na hindi ito sapat para makarekober laban sa kanilang prospective semis foe na naglaro na mas kaunti ng isang match sa Group B.

“The fact that Myanmar and Vietnam have one game less and just one tough game against each other puts them in a big advantage. One less game in these conditions is a massive, massive advantage,” ani Stajcic.

Pinagsisihan niya ang dikit na talo sa Thailand sa defensive miscue na nagresulta sa pag-iskor ni striker Kanyanat Chettabutr ng winning header sa 75th minute makaraang magkaroon din ang mga Pinay ng ilang scoring opportunities ngunit walang finishing touch para i-convert ang mga ito.

“It was a tough game. Both teams could have won the game. But unfortunately one error cost us the game tonight. We had four or five chances and they (the Thais) had two to three chances, and ‘gifted’ them one as well,” sabi ni Stajcic.

“That happens in international football against good teams but we have to bounce back in the next game.”