Metro Manila, Philippines – The Philippine men’s national football team has promised a stronger comeback after its semifinal heartbreak at the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup 2024 against powerhouse Thailand, acknowledging that the current squad has much more learning to do.
Thailand ended the country’s Cinderella run in the 2024 ASEAN Championship on Monday evening, Dec. 30, finishing the second leg of the semifinal game at 3-1 and a 4-3 aggregate score.
Philippine team head coach Albert Capellas said he was proud of the Filipino footballers as they played against the defending champions “until the last minute of the night.”
“We practiced everything. We know that we will have a lot of chances to go to extra time,” Capellas said in a news conference. “Unfortunately, we had the chance at minute 90 extra time, we had a double chance and then the game was over.”
For Capellas, the Philippine side played “good” football in the first and last 20 minutes of the match.
“The first half of the extra time was [an] equal game. And the last 10 minutes, we suffered, we couldn’t put pressure on the ball anymore, we allowed many crosses,” the head coach said.
The Philippines secured the first victory in the two-legged semifinal series with a full time score of 2-1 at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila on Dec. 27.
After the regulation time during Monday’s second leg, the score was 2-1 in favor of Thailand, but the aggregate score was 3-3. With the draw, the match went into extended time.
It could have continued to the penalty shootout but Thai forward Suphanat Mueanta converted a header at the 116th minute to end the semifinals.
Capellas said the Philippine team would have to learn to play these games at a higher level to be “more mature.”
“For this generation of players, it’s the first time. I can only promise that we will learn from this and we will come back stronger. That is the big difference. We just arrived and Thailand has much more experience,” he said.
“We are learning what it means to play these games. It’s new for us. It’s new for them. That means now we know that we can do it and now they will get more experience,” he also said.
Needed support
On behalf of the team, Capellas thanked Filipinos in the country and from around the world for their support.
He said a more powerful league is needed as they will “work very hard to make it happen,” adding that he believes that the Philippines has a “great future” in the coming years.
But Capellas underscored the importance of investing in the youth football group as well.
“I hope we will get the support from the [Philippine Football Federation], from the government, from the people who love football to help us grow football in the Philippines and we will get more games like these,” the head coach said.
The Philippine team will have to work hard to get a slot at the 2027 AFC Asian Cup, with the third round of the qualifiers set next year.
The Nationals will face Tajikistan, Maldives, and Timor-Leste in Group A. Only the group winner will earn the qualification.
