Philippines striker wants to score against Vietnam team
The Philippines are full of determination and ambition in the AFF Cup 2018, thanks to the leadership of coach Sven-Goran Eriksson.
"I watched the match between Vietnam and Malaysia in the group stage," Philippines striker Patrick Reichelt shared on the AFF Cup homepage. "They played deep, waiting for opportunities when there was space. We will have to discuss with each other after the coaching staff finds a strategy when facing Vietnam. They have not conceded any goals, so our goal will be to score and make the match difficult for Vietnam."
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Forward Reichelt (right). |
Vietnam is the only team in the AFF Cup 2018 that has not conceded a goal after 4 matches. The Philippines has not lost a match but has conceded 3 goals and scored 5 goals. After 4 matches, the island team ranked second in Group B and won a ticket to the semi-finals, surpassing strong opponents such as Indonesia and Singapore.
"We played with great determination," added the striker, who scored the Philippines' first goal of the tournament. "Everyone fought for each other. We had good understanding and communication on the pitch. We have a balanced squad this year."
This is the third time German-born striker Reichelt has appeared in the AFF Cup semi-finals, after 2012 and 2014. He expected the Philippines to make a difference in this year’s tournament, under the guidance of coach Sven-Goran Eriksson. However, before the semi-final match against Vietnam, the Philippines lost captain Phil Younghusband due to injury.
"I feel like this is my best AFF Cup. I felt energetic when I entered the field. Unfortunately Phil is injured but hopefully everything will be fine," Reichelt said.
The first leg of the semi-final between the two teams took place in Bacolod on December 2 and the second leg was held at My Dinh 4 days later.
