The Philippines has reached the semifinals of the Asean U-23 Championship for the first time, marking a historic milestone for the national team in the tournament held in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Guided by coach Garrath McPherson, the young Filipino squad finished second in Group A with six points after winning against Malaysia and Brunei and narrowly losing to hosts Indonesia. Their semifinal berth was also secured with the help of favorable results in the other groups.
The team now faces Vietnam in the semifinals scheduled for Friday at Jakarta’s Gelora Bung Karno Stadium. Indonesia and Thailand will clash in the other semifinal match.
The final is set for Monday, while the third-place match, should the Philippines fall short, will take place on Sunday.
Otu Banatao opened the campaign with a brace in their 2-0 victory over Malaysia, supported by a clean sheet from goalkeeper Nico Guimaraes. Despite Guimaraes’ solid performance in the second match, the team lost 1-0 to Indonesia due to an own goal by Jaime Rosquillo.
The squad bounced back in their final group game with a 2-0 win over Brunei. Senior team member Javi Mariona converted a penalty in the 20th minute, followed by a goal from Noti Nunez just before stoppage time.
