The Philippine Football Federation (PFF) commended its national U23 squad for its fourth-place finish in the ASEAN Championship in Indonesia.

PFF president John Gutierrez said that despite missing out on a podium finish, making it as far as the semifinal is still a big achievement, as it was the first time the Filipinos got that far in the 20-year history of the competition.

The Philippines suffered a 1-3 loss to Thailand in the bronze medal match last Monday at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta.

“Our U23 squad’s fourth-place finish in the ASEAN tournament is a historic first and a clear sign of our team’s upward trajectory. We commend our players, coaches, staff and management for making our nation proud,” Gutierrez said.

The Filipinos had an uphill battle in the bronze medal match as the Thais had a 2-0 lead, thanks to goals from Phanthamit Praphanth in the 29th minute and Siraphop Wandee in the 74th minute.

A header by Otu Banatao in the 79th minute provided a spark for the Nationals’ charge for a podium finish.

Unfortunately, Seksan Ratree made sure the Thais would get the bronze after calmly hitting a tap-in goal in the 86th.

Despite the Filipinos falling short on what could have been their first-ever podium finish, Gutierrez thanked the supporters for cheering on from start to finish.

After all, the Nationals entered the semifinal of the ASEAN Championship as the best second-place squad in the competition and pushed Vietnam to the limit before losing 1-2.

“This achievement wouldn’t be possible without the passionate support of our stakeholders, sponsors, parents and every Filipino football fan,” Gutierrez said.