KUALA LUMPUR: Tajikistan survived a penalty shootout against the Philippines to claim third spot in the Merdeka Tournament at the National Stadium yesterday.
The match had ended 0-0 after 90 minutes, and the Central Asian team prevailed 4-3 in the spotkicks.
Tajikistan goalkeeper Oleg Baklov pulled off a series of saves, and the Philippines' Jefferson Tabinas and Javier Gayoso also struck the woodwork.
Tajikistan's Akhtam Nazarov, Daler Sharipov, Manuchehr Safarov, Alisher Shukurov did not miss from the spot.
Tajikistan coach, Gela Shekiladze said:
"We were ready for everything. We trained for the penalties.
"Our new goalkeeper, Baklov, was exceptional, and he did even better during training."
Philippines coach Norman Fegidero said: "We had our chances in the first half and could have been leading 2-0. We need more competitions like this for the team's growth and exposure."