Pulling on the Philippines jersey with an English accent

In the bowels of Hanoi's My Dinh stadium, the strip-lit hallways reverberate to the sounds of celebration. The whoops and cheers echo off the venue's cracked, yellowing paintwork amid the customary clacking of soccer players returning from the field.

The source of the euphoria is one of the biggest surprise results in the recent history of Asian soccer: the Philippines, ranked among the weakest nations in the world, have just handed Vietnam, defending Southeast Asian champions, a 2-0 defeat in front of their own fans.

In the greater scheme of the global game, the result may seem obscure. This is hardly on a par with North Korea defeating Italy at the 1966 World Cup finals. But it is the methods employed by the Philippines that led to the victory over the 2007 Asian Cup quarter-finalists that mark it as a story of note.

Unmistakably English accents - from London brogues to the more refined tones of the Home Counties - mix with the familiar Filipino lilt, and these are not just the audible celebrations of the team's coaching staff: this lusty, Anglo-infected cheering is coming from among the players.

The joy is well earned because the victory over the Vietnamese - who won the regional AFF Suzuki Cup crown in 2008 - is a rare success for the Philippines, who have long been seen as the whipping boys of Southeast Asian soccer.

Indeed, the country stands in stark contrast to most of their neighbours: while soccer is king across the region, the influence of the United States on the Philippines' relatively recent history means the nation's sporting hue bears a more striking resemblance to life in the US.