Azkals stumble

Jakarta– Ranged against a regional force, the Philippine Under-23 men’s football team took its worst loss, 0-5, at the hands of Myanmar yesterday in the 26th Southeast Asian Games at the Lebak Bulis pitch here.

This as the Philippines added just one gold medal to its tally courtesy of Ina Flores in the women’s boulder of wall climbing. The Pinoys, as of 9 p.m. last night, now have a record of 5-8-13 (gold-silver-bronze) to stay at sixth place behind Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore and Malaysia, respectively.

The Filipinos added just one gold, six silvers and eight bronze medals yesterday.

Late Saturday, Rene Herrera and Camille Manalo added two gold medals to the two earlier won by Marestella Torres and the taekwondo poomsae team.

Herrera won in the 3,000-meter steeplechase while Manalo won in the women’s 63-kg. event of taekwondo.

Meanwhile, Myanmar kept its share of the Group B lead in football with Vietnam after rising to 3-1-0 for 10 points.

It was the third loss in four games for the Azkals, who also took a 1-3 beating at the hands of the Vietnamese and a 1-2 defeat from Timor Leste despite drawing first blood in both matches.

Even with a win in their final Group B match at 6 p.m. (7 p.m. in Manila) on Tuesday, the Azkals will bow out without a medal in football.

SURBAN BAGS BRONZE

Marites Bitbit guns for the gold in the 24-kilometer Individual Time Trial event in cycling today, looking to duplicate her feat in 2007 in Thailand even as Mark Galedo and Ronald Gorantes campaign in the 50-km men’s event ITT. Cycling will be held in Pemanukan and Subang in West Java.

Bitbit hopes to have better fortunes than Niño Surban, the Cebu native who checked in third in the cross-country mountain bike competition behind Indonesia’s Chandra Rafsanjani and Bandi Sugito for the bronze. /inquirer with a report from brian j. ochoa