Phl booters enter semis

The Philippine national men’s football team was in ecstasy after beating Indonesia, 1-0, Saturday to qualify for the semifinals of the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup, the first time in six years.

This victory was also the first time in a decade the Nationals defeated the Garuda in the tournament since their 4-0 win at the My Dinh National Stadium in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Philippine head coach Albert Capellas said this was a testament to their resilience as they did not lose hope of making the semifinals.

The Filipinos finished the elimination round in Group B in the second seed with a 1-3-0 win-draw-loss record.

“We knew that we would have our chances and we knew when the moment was there we should grab it. Also, we knew that it would not be easy at all,” said Capellas, who won his first Mitsubishi Electric Cup match with the Philippines.

“It has been very difficult. Indonesia makes our game very difficult but on the other hand, I think the Philippines deserve to be in the semifinals.”

Bjorn Kristensen’s penalty in the 63rd minute was more than enough for the Philippines to return to the Final Four since 2018 when Phil Younghusband, Stephan Shrock, and Neil Etheridge were still playing for the national team.

The Filipinos will now focus on Thailand for the first leg of the semifinals on Friday at 9 p.m. at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium.

Capellas said they would use the long break to rest and prepare to fight against the Thais.

“Now finally we have some days that we can take rest, we can recover not only physically but also mentally,” Capellas said.