Myanmar still maintains Group A lead in Tiger Cup<\/p>\n
Musthofid, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Myanmar crushed Cambodia 5-0 here on Thursday to continue its
\ncharge in Group A of the Tiger Cup, while Vietnam strengthened
\nits status as tournament favorite with a 4-1 victory over lowly
\nPhilippines.<\/p>\n
It was the second consecutive win for David Booth's Myanmar
\nside, following its 6-1 rout of the Philippines on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Lwin Oo had a double for Myanmar while Zaw Zaw, Zaw Htaik and
\nTint Naing Tun Thein each scored a goal to put their side at the
\ntop of the group with seven points and a formidable goal
\nadvantage.<\/p>\n
Vietnam and Indonesia, each with a game in hand, are in second
\nand third place with six and four points respectively. Cambodia
\nand the Philippines have yet to earn a point in the tournament.<\/p>\n
With the home squad Indonesia not playing on Thursday, the
\n100,000 capacity Bung Karno Stadium was nearly deserted, with a
\nsmattering of spectators seated near the VIP section.<\/p>\n
Myanmar and Cambodia both got off to a slow start, with the
\nteam teams ending the half in a scoreless draw. Myanmar had the
\nbest of the action but failed to capitalize on its opportunities.<\/p>\n
The goal scoring began five minutes into the second half when
\nZaw Zaw, who came off the bench for Yan Paing, put Myanmar in
\nfront with his left-footed drive. The ball took a deflection off
\na Cambodian defender before finding the back of the net.<\/p>\n
Lwin Oo lengthened the lead with his header and Zaw Htaik, who
\nhad come close to scoring on numerous occasions, finally got on
\nthe scoresheet with a volley at the near post.<\/p>\n
Lwin Oo scored his second goal on the day 10 minutes from the
\nend of time, turning defenders inside out before sending a left-
\nfooted drive into the net. And five minutes later, Tun Thein
\njoined the goal barrage with a powerful drive from just outside
\nthe box.<\/p>\n
\"In the first half, we were waiting for a first goal to go in
\nfront. Unfortunately, we were less than organized.<\/p>\n
\"We needed a little bit of quality in final touches and a
\nquality finish into the goal.<\/p>\n
\"In the second half we started putting the ball into the box.
\nWe were quite relieved to get that first one after it took so
\nlong,\" Booth said.<\/p>\n
With the win, Myanmar improved its chance of qualifying for
\nthe semifinals. But it will face a difficult task when it comes
\nup against Vietnam at Lebak Bulus Stadium in South Jakarta next
\nMonday.<\/p>\n
Myanmar will not play on Saturday, a day that will see
\nCambodia meet the Philippines and Indonesia play Vietnam in a
\ncrucial match.<\/p>\n
\"Today's game gave us more of a chance to get into the
\nsemifinals. We have a rest and then we play Vietnam in four days.
\nSo we have time to organize and assess our chances against
\nVietnam to go into the last four.<\/p>\n
\"Vietnam is probably the strongest team at the moment. But
\nwe'd like to enjoy now and relax for a few days before taking
\nthem on,\" Booth said.<\/p>\n
Cambodian coach Joachim Fickert, who complained about the
\nphysical lapses of his players during the Myanmar game, announced
\nafter the match that he was leaving the team after the
\ntournament.<\/p>\n
\"I have known some of you for years. I'd like to thank you,
\nbecause my time in Cambodia is over after the Tiger Cup and after
\nseven years with the team,\" the German said.<\/p>",
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