Bjorn Kristensen scores one of his three the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup goals. PFF photo
Pinoys look for better days in ASEAN football
THE Philippines was inches away from dethroning Thailand in the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup, and just minutes away from forcing penalties.
But the Filipinos fell short, as the War Elephants secured a place in the Finals and a shot at a record-extending eighth title with a 4-3 win via aggregate last Monday.
In a 2024 that was said as a golden year Philippine sports, the national men’s team is included in the conversation, as the country achieved its finest finish in the regional’s biggest football showpiece.
“We just arrived at this level. For a lot of years we couldn’t play these type of games — to fight until the last second against Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam. It’s the first time we are here after a lot of years,” said coach Albert Capellas, who took over the program last September.
“We have to learn from this experience. Thailand has been there a lot of years. For this generation of players, this is the first time. All I can promise is that we’ll learn from this and we’ll become stronger,” he added.
Aside from bagging their first-ever semifinal win in the ASEAN men’s championship since 2010, it was the Filipinos’ first victory against the War Elephants in 52 years.
Prior to the first leg’s 2-1 conquest in front of 10,000 fans at the Rizal Memorial Stadium, the last time the Philippines won over Thailand was on June 12, 1972, a 1-0 victory at the Jakarta Anniversary Tournament.
The Filipinos, who placed second behind the Golden Star Warriors, tallied a record of two wins, three draws, and one loss to achieve their first semifinals appearance since 2018.
Capellas thanked all the support the team garnered over the last few weeks.
“I hope all the Filipinos are proud and that they enjoyed [the efforts of] our squad. They fought a lot. And I hope we get the support from the federation, the government, and from people who love football, to help us grow football in the Philippines, so we’ll have more games like this,” Capellas said.
“Thank you very much to all the Filipinos, not only in the Philippines, but around the world. Now we have to move to the next level. We have to have a more powerful league. We have to develop the youth football. We need to invest, and we will come back stronger. We will work very hard to make it happen.
“Now we know we can do it. We have a very bright future for the national team of the Philippines for the next few years,” he added.
The Philippines will next see action in March, when the campaign to qualify for the 2027 Asian Cup begins. The Filipinos are in Group A along with Tajikistan, Maldives and Timor Leste.
The last time the Philippines reached the Asian Cup was in 2019, and with the inspiring run in the ASEAN Championships, the country hopes to return after missing the 2023 bus.
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