Azkals vs. Myanmar Result: Score and Recap for Philippine Peace Cup Final 2014

The Philippines were unable to win their third consecutive Peace Cup after they were beaten 3-2 by Myanmar at the Rizal Mermorial Stadium after extra time.

Myanmar—make their first ever appearance in the competition—took an early lead thanks to Kyaw Ko Ko in the eighth minute. But the Azkals were determined not to have their winning record in this competition besmirched, and they battled back with goals Daisuke Sato and Phil Younghusband in the second half.

But an equaliser in the dying embers of the match from Yan Paing took the game into extra time, where Soe Min Oo scored the winner for the White Angels:

Much of the talk pre-match centred around Myanmar coach Radojko Avramovic after his Singapore side knocked the Philippines team out of the Suzuki Cup semi-final in 2012. And Azkals skipper Rob Gier insisted that his presence serves as added motivation, per Philippine Daily Inquirer:

"

I would be lying if I say there’s no extra motivation knowing coach Raddy (Avramovic) is on the other side.

It was devastating to lose the semifinal to them (Singapore). It would be nice to get one over him for sure.

"

Mark Dadswell/Getty Images

The Philippines were the overwhelming favourites to triumph once again in their self-hosted tournament, and after hammering Chinese Taipei 5-1 to make it through to the final, perhaps a little bit of complacency crept in during the early stages here.

That certainly looked to be the case in the opening exchanges, as it was Myanmar that began the game on the front foot. Ko Ko was testing out the Azkals defence early on with some subtle and intelligent movement, and it was no surprise when the 21-year-old opened the scoring in the eighth minute with a fine finish.

Bullit Marquez/Associated Press

The early lapse in concentration seemed to wake up the home side, though, and they almost restored parity immediately after Simon Greatwich broke clear of the Myanmar back-four only to have his shot saved by ‘keeper Thiha Sithu.

The home side continued to put the visitors under pressure, and although they bossed possession throughout the opening 45 minutes, the Azkals never really tested Sithu following Greatwich’s excellent chance.

Bullit Marquez/Associated Press

As the referee blew the half-time whistle, the White Angels’ boss Avramovic would have been delighted with his team’s display. But the Philippines emerged after the break with a lot more purpose to their play. They were more intense off the ball and sharper in their passing; it didn’t take long for them to get their reward.

The goal came from an unlikely source, too. The ball fell to defender Sato on the edge of the box, and he showed excellent composure to stroke it into the corner despite the efforts of Sithu in the Myanmar goal.

That strike galvanised the hosts and former Chelsea forward Younghusband came close on a couple of occasions, only to be denied by the excellent Sithu. But with 20 minutes left, Younghusband finally got his goal.

After long spells of defending, the Myanmar back-four were beginning to look a little creaky. So it was no surprise when the White Angels naively conceded a penalty. Younghusband smashed the ball past Sithu to put his side back in the driving seat and within touching distance of their third Peace Cup in a row:

Chasing the game, Avramovic encouraged his players to push forward in the latter stages and their chance seemed to have gone when they had a goal controversially ruled out with five minutes remaining. But there was to be a sting in the tail, as Yan Paing was able to poke the ball home in the dying embers of the match and send the tie into extra time.

Sports journalist Cedelf Tupas provided us with an insight into what was going wrong for the Philippines team:

Buoyed by that late goal, the White Angels started the first period of extra time on top, with Simone Rota clearing off the line after Azkals ‘keeper Roland Muller went walkabout. The Philippines looked a despondent outfit and as the Myanmar pressure kept coming, it seemed inevitable that another goal would follow.

It did so in the 100th minute, as Myanmar took the lead their play deserved; Min nipping in to finish after his initial effort was saved by Muller in the Azkals goal. The hosts came back strongly in the second period of extra time, but they were unable to muster the goal to take the tie to penalties.

For the experienced Avramovic it'll be hugely satisfying to guide a team to glory in their first ever appearance in the tournament and it'll be especially sweet for him to get one over on the Azkals once again. But for the Philippines, after starting poorly and defending slackly in the latter stages of the game, they only have themselves to blame for letting this one slip.